Family Ties
by dragonflare137
Summary: One of Yugi's childhood friends returns unexpectedly much to his and everyone's surprise. What will happen when the secrets that she hold resurface? Will they cause a family torn by anger to come together again or will they cause chaos and hate.
1. Prologue and An Unexpected Visit

Family Ties

It was one of the worst days of my life. I tried to keep my voice at a calm level but it was proving to be very difficult. I just watched as he yelled at me with the pain in his eyes. I could see it clearly but I couldn't hide the truth from him. He needed to know.

I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news but it had to be done. He didn't want to see me go.

I can't really blame him for being angry with me. I was some of the only family he had left, other than our youngest brother of course. It wasn't his fault he had to go through this

"Why are you doing this to us! We were supposed to stay together no matter what. Are you just going to back on your promise?" he said to me with all the anger he had in his heart.

"Do you think I want to do this? I have no choice but to do this. It would be practically impossible for all three of us to be adopted together. I'm only doing what's best for you two." I tried to stay as calm as I could when I told him this.

"The best thing for us is you staying with us"

"That's what you think know but only because you are still upset about being here. You two don't need me forever and this will help with that."

He looked so sad when I told him this. That look was soon replaced with one of anger.

"But we do need you. Family is all we have now and we have to stay together. You just want to make an excuse to abandon us."

"That's the last thing I would ever do to you two. You need to learn that you can trust other people that aren't family."

My voice was started shaking at my effort to control my anger at the boy. He was getting unreasonable with his arguments. I would never leave them alone if I didn't know they would be safe. I needed to go. If only he knew how difficult it was for a 15-year-old girl to be adopted than maybe he would understand. But he was only 8 and it was so hard for him to accept the fact that I was going to leave them alone in the orphanage.

"I don't need anyone else. The only people I need are my family but obviously you don't want to be with us anymore" he yelled at me with a voice full of hurt.

After this statement he stormed out of the room and slammed the door. The sound of it slam made me wince. This had gone totally out of hand but I knew I couldn't calm him down, let alone talk to the kid.

He had a fit as soon as I told him that I was going to be adopted without them. He started yelling at me and I soon escalated into a major argument.

I walked out into the hallway to see my youngest brother, who was only 3, walk toward me. As soon as he was close enough, he jumped into my arms and began to cry.

"Why do you have to go? Is big brother going to forgive you?" His words were hard to understand when he was crying into me but I figured out what he asked me.

"I don't know if he will ever forgive me, but maybe he will. He's stubborn so it may take awhile for him to get the idea across. It may even be after I'm gone that he realizes what I've done is the right thing."

I said this as gentle as I could so I wouldn't upset him even more than he was.

"What do you mean by the right thing big sister?"

"I know that getting someone to adopt three different kids is very difficult. It would be easier for the two of you to be adopted together. I want you two to stay with each other. You need each other more than you need me."

"I understand big sister. I only wish big brother would understand to."

"I wish he would to but I can't make his decisions for him"

"Big sister, will we ever see you again."

I almost cried at the question because of how sad his voice sounded.

"I know we will. I don't know when but I promise you I will find you. When you are in your perfect home, I will find you two. This is a promise I will never break."

At this he smiled and gave me one of his "great big hugs", as he liked to call them.

I didn't feel as enthusiastic as he did because I just didn't know if I would be able to keep that promise. The only thing that would keep me from that promise would have to be the brother that resented me.

* * *

><p>"I still don't get what you mean Yugi"<p>

"Well you see Joey, when a card is chained to another card, the card that was used last is that card that gets its effect first. Make sense now."

"Its useless Yugi, he won't get it anytime soon" said Tea as she was listening to them talk about duel monsters like usual.

The gang was headed back to the Kame shop after a long day at school. They planned to have a duel monsters 'tournament" to relieve their stress from school. Seeing as it was their last year in high school, they got more work than usual.

"Hey Yugi, could you try explaining chains to me again," said Joey with a confused look on his face.

"Uhhh, alright Joey. Just listen closely this time"

"Can't that wait until were inside. Were at the shop," said Tristan as they came to the front door of the shop.

"Alright Tristan" laughed Yugi as they entered the shop.

"Hey Yugi, how was school today," asked Grandpa Moto as they walked in.

"It was busy as usual. We were going to have a duel monsters tournament to take our minds off of school."

"That sounds like a great idea, you kids have fun, but before you do that, can you sweep that shop," said Yugi's Grandpa as he walked into the back of the shop to take an inventory check.

"Alright Grandpa," said Yugi as he walked over to the wall with the broom.

"Man, why do you have to do work when he could have easily done it," complained Joey with a board look on his face.

"He's my Grandpa, I have to listen to him, and this won't take to long," replied Yugi as he did the job he was told to do.

Like he said, it didn't take long for him to finish his task and they began to head up the stairs. As soon as they got to the top of the stairs, the bell at the door rang, which signaled the arrival of a customer.

"I better see who that is," said Yugi as he turned back down the stairs to tend to the customer. The others followed with a small groan of complaint coming from Joey. "Why does everything get in the way of me having some fun."

When they all got down they saw who came into the shop.

The person that stood before that was a tall brunette who looked like she was in her mid-twenties (she was 25 to be exact). Her hair was long and there was a little piece of it that rested just above the bridge of her nose. She had piercing blue eyes that looked like they were carved of ice. She had a smile on her face that looked mischievous and mysterious at the same time. She wore a light blue coat that went down to her feet and flared out. She also had on a blue shirt that complemented her light violet shorts. She stood with her arms crossed and had a very serious look on her face.

As soon as Yugi saw her, he said in a surprised voice, "Marianne, is that really you?"

"Well it looks like you still remember something about me," said the woman.

"Wow I haven't seen you in years. What have you been doing all this time," Yugi asked still in as surprised tone.

"What a minute," yelled Joey. "What is going on here. Do you two know each other or something."

"Well if he knows my name than he must know who I am," said Marianne in a sarcastic tone.

"Ya Joey, I thought that would have been obvious," said Tristan. At this comment Joey grabbed him and put him in a headlock. "I wasn't talking to you"

"I just gave you an honest comment," laughed Tristan.

"I guess these people must be your friends," said Marianne as she cut into their argument. "I'm glad you made some more since I last saw you," laughed Marianne.

Yugi blushed at the comment and replied "Ya it has been awhile since I've seen you. I've changed a lot since than."

"I can tell. You aren't the nervous little kid I met anymore. You have also gotten a little taller"

"Ok Yugi can you explain to us who this is" asked Joey in a somewhat aggravated voice. He hated not knowing something.

"Oh sorry guys. This is Marianne. And she's, well, my older sister," replied Yugi in a somewhat shy tone of voice.

"SHE'S YOUR SISTER" exclaimed Joey, Tristan, and Tea at the same time.

"What you can't see the resemblance between us?" She pulled Yugi toward her as she said this and she could tell Yugi was embarrassed.

"No not really, you guys are complete opposites" said Joey who, sounded somewhat annoyed at her sarcasm.

"Well there's a good reason for that. We aren't related by blood. I'm his adopted sister. His family adopted me 10 years ago when I was 15."

"So your 7 years older than we are," said Joey to himself. "If you really are his adopted sister, then why have we never seen you until now?"

"I left home when I was 18. I visited a few times after that, but I stopped coming after awhile. I had some personal things to take care of."

"I always wished you would visit us soon. I guess you finally decided to come," said Yugi. "So how has it been. How is Brendan doing?"

"Oh he is just fine. He's grown up since the last time you saw him," replied Marianne.

"Who is Brendan," asked Tea

"He's my son. He's only five years old and very intelligent for his age."

"Oh so that means your married," asked Tea.

At this Marianne got a sad look in her eyes as if the thought brought up bad memories.

"I was married. My husband died in an accident a few years ago," answered Marianne with a melancholy tone of voice.

"Oh I'm sorry. I apologize if that made you upset," replied Tea in a worried voice. She didn't mean to stir bad memories.

"It's alright," said Marianne, who had regained her composure, "I know that nothing can be done about it and the past is the past. I have to move on with life and take care of the things I have now."

Tea sighed in relief that she didn't hurt Marianne's feelings.

"I know it hasn't been that long but I need to be heading out know," said Marianne, "I have some things to take care of right now. If you want to come to my house I can give you the address of my new house."

"That would be great! I'll have to stop by sometime soon," replied Yugi, "I'll see you later. Bye."

"Good-bye! It was nice meeting all of you," said Marianne as she walked out of the store.

"That was an interesting discovery. How come you never told us about her Yugi," asked Joey in a very questioning voice.

"I didn't think it was really important to tell you guys then," confessed Yugi, "And anyway you know now."

"Ya Joey stop complaining Joey," teased Tristan, "Now why don't we go and have that tournament we planned on."

"Good idea Tristan, lets go," said Yugi as he raced back up the stairs with the others following behind.


	2. Lonely

It wasn't too bad being there. There was roof over our heads, food to eat, and a bed to sleep.

We haven't been in the orphanage for very long. It has been about a week dad died in that accident. I still remember the phone call we got from the police telling us what had happened. It was heart breaking to tell the boys. I had to be strong for them.

I thought that maybe one of our relatives would take us in. Maybe we could still be a family. Maybe we could still be happy.

How wrong I was.

Our family abandoned us and left at the orphanage. They took all of our inheritance and left us all on our own.

The first days were not very pleasant. We were still grieving and my youngest brother was taking it very hard. He never met our mother and now dad was gone to. He was too young to suffering this kind of pain. As for my other brother, he stayed calm through this whole thing. I almost thought he didn't care about what had happened. He was good at hiding his emotions, even from me. He did his best to comfort the youngest of us three. It seemed to me that he handled our younger brother better. I don't know why, but they always did get along very well.

It didn't take us to long to settle into our new home. We got used to their routines and procedures quickly. We didn't really like it there, but we did our best to stay positive. The people there weren't bad to us, but it was nothing like home.

My brother usually played chess in one of the classrooms in their free time. It was amusing watching the two play, though the older of the two would always win. He was very intelligent for his age. Some people even go far enough to call him a child genius, though I don't disagree with them. Even when he always won, he would tell the other that if he just tried hard enough, he might win. It was comforting watching them have fun, even after all they had been through.

As for me, in my spare time I just sat out side under the large tree in the courtyard. I like to watch the other kids play and have fun. I was the only teenager in the orphanage, so I didn't really have anyone to talk to. The younger kids ask me to play with them once in a while, but I don't accept their requests. I just liked to watch them. Some ask me to read stories to them or help them with something. I always agreed to this. Since I was the oldest, I was like a mother to most of the kids. The adults that were there helped and all, but the kids preferred it if I helped them.

I still remember the day my life changed.

I was sitting under the tree like I usually did when I saw a strange little boy. I would have remembered someone with that kind of hair at the orphanage. Maybe he was new. I didn't really know.  
>He had the oddest hair. It was red at the top, black in the middle and blonde bangs that flared our in different directions. He had these violet eyes were like none I had ever seen before.<p>

The boy looked like he was lost. Even so, he didn't go up to anyone. He looked like a nervous little puppy. It was amusing but I so got up and walked to the boy.

"Hey there kid, are you lost," I asked the boy with a kind voice so I wouldn't frighten him.

He looked at me and I could see the fear in his eyes. I crouched down so I was at eye level with him.

"Its alright, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help."

He kept staring at me and finally he said, "I'm not lost, I'm waiting for my mother." His voice was as soft as kitten.

"Your mother? So you must not live here. No wonder I haven't seen you before."

"No I don't. My mother comes here sometimes and I come with her. I haven't seen you here so you must be new." His answer was almost inaudible.

"Yes I am. I came here with my two younger brothers."

"You have two brothers?" He looked at me with curiosity and his voice raised a little.

"Yes I do," I chuckled, " Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No I don't," he said sadly.

It sounded as if he was very lonely. I don't think I could ever be an only child.

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask you what you name was kid," I said.

"Oh, well my name is Yugi." He answered as if no one has ever asked him that question before.

"Its nice to meet you Yugi. My name is Marianne."

After that we just started talking about random things. Yugi told me about his love for games and I told him about my love for my family. We talked for awhile and as time went by, Yugi opened up more. He began to laugh and he started talking above a whisper.

"You remind me of my brother you know. You two are alike in so many ways," I told him after we had talked for some time.

"Really? How? You said your brother was smart and strong. I'm neither of those things," said Yugi in a questioning tone.

"Don't put yourself down like that. You are both of those things. You may not know your full potential yet, but it is there. You just have to find it. Anyway, being strong isn't everything. Being kind and caring is important to. You are kind to everyone you meet. My brother is only kind to those he trusts. That is the main difference between you two, not to mention his ego."

We both laughed and continued to talk. Soon after, a petite woman walked up to us and tapped Yugi on the shoulder. I guessed that she was her mother.

"Come Yugi, its time to head home," she told him.

"But Mother, I want to talk to my friend for a little longer." He looked at her with his eyes wide and pleading.

I could tell that his mother was surprised to hear this. I guess she hasn't heard him say that in awhile.

"I'm sorry but we need to go. You two can talk again when we come back."

Yugi looked disappointed at this but didn't argue. He stood up and looked at me again. He turned and gave me a hug. I wasn't expecting this but I returned it. I grew close to the kid while we were talking and didn't hesitate to show it. I could tell his mother was even more surprised at this but she didn't say anything. Yugi let go and walked toward her with a smile on his face.

"Yugi why don't you go to the car. I wish to speak to your friend," said Yugi's mother once he got to her side.

"Alright mother." I could hear the disappointment in his voice but he did as he was told.

As soon as he was out of ear shoot his mother walked up to me. She was a little shorter than I was. Either I was tall for my age or she was short, but I didn't say anything about that aloud.

"I just want to thank you. I haven't seen Yugi that happy in a long time. It really makes me happy to know that he has a friend."

"It's alright. He's a good kid. He deserves to have a friend," I said with a cheery voice that I hadn't had since I came to the orphanage.

"Well I need to be heading out. Yugi is waiting for me. I am very grateful for everything you have done today," she said as she turned toward the gate that led to the outside world.

"It was nothing, I really enjoyed being with him today."

With that and a wave good-bye, she was out the gate and headed back toward her own home.

After that I went back to the tree that I usually sat under. I thought long and hard about the things that happened today. Yugi was a good person to hang out with. Actually, I wouldn't mind living with him. But, I don't really know if they would even be willing to adopt someone.

But what about my brothers?

I just can't leave them here. I told them that we would always be a family. It would be painful to leave the only family I have left. They would also be sad if I left them for another family.

But the question is, do they really need me. I have always asked myself this question. They are smart kids and can take care of themselves. They have always been very independent, even before all of this happened.

Yugi on the other hand, well, he was just not as confident. He really needs someone to be there for him. He has no brothers or sisters, and from what I heard, I don't think he has any friends either. I think I am the closest thing he has to a friend. My brothers have each other.

I knew I would have to face the facts sooner or later. It would be nearly impossible for three kids to be adopted by the same person. The chance that we would even be near each other is pretty slim. The only problem would be telling the others about this. They would be upset with me for even doubting staying together. They promised that they wouldn't be adopted if the other weren't included.

I'm glad I didn't make that promise. I'm glad I don't have to break that promise.

After thinking to myself for awhile, the bell for dinner was rung. I went to go get my brothers and we went and ate together. Afterwards we went to our rooms (my room was separate from the boys and I had a room to myself) for the night. I barely got any sleep that night. I was to preoccupied thinking about the events of today and to what they may lead to.

The next morning I got up and went through the usual routine: Get up, get my brothers up, get ready for the day, eat breakfast, go to classes etc.

But this day was different from the others.

During my first class of the day (It was just me since I was the only one in my age group), I was called out by one of the orphanage "moms."

"Marianne, the interview director wants to see you," she told me in a pleasant tone. I nodded and started walking to the front desk.

I wonder what they could want. I didn't do anything bad. Did I? I think I would remember if I broke a rule.

When I reached the front desk, the lady behind the counter smiled at me and told me that the interview director would be right with me. Just like she said, the director, Mrs. Reynolds, walked out of her office a few minutes after I had arrived.

"Hello Marianne, I'm glad to see you hear. Please, come into my office. I have something very important to tell you." She said this in a nauseatingly cheery voice.

"Yesterday I talked with someone over the phone. They told me that they were interested in adopting you."

When I heard this, my jaw dropped nearly to the floor. Someone wanted to adopt me? I had a feeling in my gut that I knew who it was. I didn't know how to react so I just kept listening.

"She said that after talking with her son, who she said you met yesterday, she wants to adopt you. Do you know who I'm talking about Marianne," she questioned me with a stare.

"Yes I do Ma'am," I replied.

"Good. She will be here tomorrow to take you to your new home. I hope you have a good time there." She smiled as she said this. She shooed me out of the office when she had finished her talk with me.

I was going to be adopted. I didn't think it would actually happen. This makes things so much more complicated. What am I going to tell the boys? I hope they aren't mad at me. I can just refuse to go this could be my only chance to leave. Kids my age usually never get adopted, or at least that was what I was told.

I don't know what to do. I'm just so confused. I guess this was inevitable. I just hope they can forgive me. I have to tell them about this now. It would just be more painful to tell them later. I can make it as painless as I possible can. I know they will do fine without me, I know it in my gut. I will know this when I see them again, some time after this is over and they are adopted as well.

But what if my gut is wrong? What if I never see them again.


	3. Arguements

Family Ties-Chapter 3

"Hey kid watch out you might hurt yourself," warned Marianne as she watched her son Brendan walk toward a table with his eyes closed. She didn't really know why he was doing that, but she didn't want him to get hurt.

"Alright Mama," he giggled as he ran back to her.

The two were relaxing at home like they usually do on the weekend. Marianne didn't have to work on the weekends. She worked at a small coffee shop behind the counter. She despised the job, for she knew she was smart and she felt like her intellect was being wasted at a place like that. But she knew she needed the extra money to take care of Brendan.

He meant the world to her.

She made a small grunt as Brendan jumped into her lap and gave her a hug.

'_He's just the sweetest kid,'_ she thought to herself.

"Hey Mama, do you think we can go to the park today." He looked at her with big puppy dog eyes.

She took one look at him and said," Alright we can go if you get ready quick."

"Yes! Thank you Mama," he said jubilantly and ran to get ready.

She smiled after him but the smile soon faded as she heard a knock on the door.

_'I wonder who that could be,'_ she thought, _'It better not ruin my day. I don't want to disappoint Brendan.'_

She hesitantly opened the door and say Yugi and his friends at her door step. She was surprised but glad it wasn't another neighbor asking her for help with something. They usually ask her to help fix a glitch in their system or help them install a computer or something. She was known around the neighborhood to be handy with technology.

Pushing the thought away, she greeted him kindly. "Hey Yugi, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Ya we wanted to surprise you," he explained with a huge grin on his face.

"Well I'm glad to see you. Why don't you and your friends come inside."

"Thanks," said Joey.

"It's no problem. Make yourselves comfortable," said Marianne.

"Where's Brendan. I wanted to say hi," asked Yugi as he walked into the living room with Tea, Joey, and Tristan.

"He's getting ready. We were about to go to the park," explained Marianne.

"Oh, I'm sorry if we interrupted you," said Yugi.

"No, it's alright. I was actually wondering if you guys wanted to come. It would be good for Brendan if he go to know his uncle.

"Great! I really want to get to know him. I haven't seen him since he was just a little kid so it will be nice to see how much he's grown," exclaimed Yugi with much visible excitement.

"Hey Mama, who's here. I heard a knock on the door," yelled Brendan as he ran into the living room.

The teens turned toward him as he ran in. He had brown hair that went down to his ears on the sides. Like his mother, his bangs came down onto his nose and onto his face. He had sapphire blue eyes like Marianne, but unlike her cold eyes, his glowed with happiness.

"Hey Brendan, I want you to meet somebody," said Marianne as Brendan ran up to her and hid behind her long blue coat.

"Who are they Mama," he asked as he peaked around her.

"If you would listen I could tell you," she explained trying to hid her amusement at his shyness.

"This is your uncle Yugi and his friends. You probably don't remember him. You meet him when you were younger, but you haven't seen him since," said Marianne, as she looked Brendan in the eyes.

He looked at Yugi with a confused look and than back at his mother. He scrunched up his face as if he had smelled something horrible and said " You said that I looked like my uncle. I don't look anything like him."

"Yugi is your adopted uncle. I was talking about you really uncle," explained Marianne to the confused boy.

"His real uncle?" asked Joey, who was just as confused as Brendan.

"I have two younger brothers, related to me by blood, who were adopted by someone else. I haven't seen them since, but I still remember their faces," said Marianne with little to no emotion in her voice and eyes.

"I remember you telling me about them when I was younger," said Yugi, " I bet you really miss them."

She looked at him with the same cold, unemotional stare as before. "You could say so."

"Well anyway, why don't I introduce the others," she suggested. "OK, so Joey is the blond, Tristan is the one with the pointy brown, and that is Tea," she explained and pointed to who she was talking about.

"It's nice to meet you all," Brendan chirped happily, his previous shyness already passed. "So can we go to the park now."

"Of course we can. Are you sure you guys want to join us," asked Marianne with a questioning glare.

"Ya of course, lets go," said Yugi.

* * *

><p>" Come on big brother, you walk really slowly," yelled a raven-haired boy as he ran down the sidewalk. " I want to get to the park quickly."<p>

The older boy walking behind him just looked at him with a cold stare. He didn't like to be bossed around, especially by his younger brother, but he didn't tell him that.

"You don't need to rush Mokuba, we have plenty of time," replied the cold CEO Seto Kaiba.

"Well I want to spend as much time with you on your day off Seto," complained Mokuba at his brother's response.

That was true, he did have the day off, and he rarely had those. The only reason he did was because Mokuba had asked him to. He couldn't deny his younger brother sometime to spend with him. He was the only family Mokuba had. He was rarely home, and when he was, Mokuba was usually asleep. Right now was his time to spend with Mokuba and him alone. He didn't want to have to deal with unnecessary problems.

His hopes were soon crushed.

As they entered the park, he saw the geek patrol. He felt his eye twitch and anger skyrocket. Why did they have to be here to ruin his day?

He noticed that they were not alone. There was someone there that he had never seen before. Actually, there were two people, as he saw a little boy come from behind the stranger. Though, he couldn't really call her a stranger since she look oddly familiar, but he couldn't tell from where. He felt like he was about to figure it out when he heard Mokuba call out to them.

"Hey Yugi, I didn't expect to see you here."

Kaiba just wanted to tell him to shut up, but he couldn't say that to him. He looked over at them and saw Yugi waving like a na ve moron. He also saw the strange girl glaring at him. He could see the cold malice in her sapphire eyes that looked very similar to his own icy glare. He broke eye contact with her (not that he was scared of her,) and watched as Mokuba walked up to them. The only thing he could do was follow him.

"Hey Mokuba, what are you doing here," asked Joey as Mokuba walked up.

"I'm hanging out with my big brother. It was his day off, so we came to the park," answered Mokuba cheerfully.

"I didn't think Moneybags go days off," sneered Joey.

"I do run the company, so I can take a break if I wanted to, but I didn't expect you to know that mutt," retorted Kaiba.

Oh how he enjoyed making fun of that mutt. He deserved every bit of his torment, or at least that's what Kaiba thought.

"You think your so high and mighty you jerk, why don't you...," Joey growled before he was interrupted by a stern interjection.

"No Joey. Don't give him the satisfaction of hearing you react. He obviously wants you to react to what he is saying," said Marianne as she walked up to Kaiba and started at him dead in the eye. This surprised Kaiba, since most people don't have the courage to look him in the eyes, let alone talk smack about him.

"And who are you exactly. I haven't seen you around these dorks before," replied Kaiba, obviously ignoring her previous statement.

"First of all they aren't dorks, and secondly, it doesn't matter who I am. You probably don't care anyway," smirked Marianne with ice in her eyes.

"Well your right about one thing," said Kaiba.

"Hmp, whatever kid, you just don't want to admit you wrong." She never broke eye contact with him as she talked.

"I'm not a kid," replied Kaiba coldly.

"I beg to differ. You act like a spoiled rotten kid who doesn't care about anyone but himself," yelled Marianne, but not loud enough to startle others in the park.

"Do you think I care?" he asked rhetorically.

"You are just an arrogant fool, who can't take the truth," she chided.

By this point, Kaiba was seething mad. He tried to keep his calm composure, but it was proving to be fairly difficult.

"Hmp. You don't know anything about me," commented Kaiba as he turned away. "Come on Mokuba, were going home."

"But Seto I..."

"I'm not going to argue with you Mokuba, were going home," said Kaiba sternly.

"Alright Seto," sighed Mokuba

Kaiba just wanted to get out of there. Even though he didn't look like it, Kaiba didn't go unfazed from that argument. There was just something about that girl. She looked so familiar and it made him angry for not knowing. But he had to congratulate her though. She was one of the few people who even dare to argue with him. He hoped he would never have to see her again.

* * *

><p>"That boy really does annoy me," growled Marianne.<p>

"Ya, you showed rich-boy who's boss!" exclaimed Joey.

"Whatever, it's done now," replied Marianne in a sad tone.

"Hey are you alright? You seem sad," asked a concerned Yugi.

"Ya I'm alright, OK," said Marianne, but Yugi could tell she was lying.

Yugi couldn't help but remember something Marianne told him when they were younger.

* * *

><p><em>"You remind me of my brother you know. You two are alike in so many ways," I told him after we had talked for some time.<em>

_"Really? How? You said your brother was smart and strong. I'm neither of those things," said Yugi in a questioning tone._

_"Don't put yourself down like that. You are both of those things. You may not know your full potential yet, but it is there. You just have to find it. Anyway, being strong isn't everything. Being kind and caring is important to. You are kind to everyone you meet. My brother is only kind to those he trusts. That is the main difference between you two, not to mention his ego."_

* * *

><p>"Hey Marianne, I have a question," asked Yugi.<p>

"Yes what is it Yugi?" questioned Marianne, who still sounded a little down.

"When we were younger, you told me you had two younger brothers. I was just wondering what there names were," asked Yugi.

The others looked puzzled, but Marianne knew why he asked. She knew she would have to tell him sooner or later.

"Brendan, why don't you go play in the park," said Marianne.

"Alright Mama," said Brendan happily, not really understanding what the others were talking about. After he left, Marianne continued the conversation Yugi started.

"I knew I couldn't keep this from you for long Yugi, you're smarter than that."

"What are you two talking about and why the sudden interest in who Marianne's brothers are?" asked Joey.

"Because I really want to know," stated Yugi.

Marianne looked troubled, but she couldn't keep the secret any longer.

"My brothers' names," she took a long pause before she gave an answer.

"My brothers' names are Seto and Mokuba."

She didn't look up to see the shocked faces of the people around her.


	4. Moving in

Family Ties-Chapter 4

_'This place isn't to bad,'_ I thought to myself as I walked into my new home.

It was a quaint little place. It was the Moto family home as well as a game shop. The upstairs was where they lived, or so I was told. It wasn't to small, so I wouldn't make the family feel cramped or vice versa. I had a feeling I would be happy here.

"Hey Marianne, want me to show you to you room," offered Yugi as I walked into the house. His mother had picked me and he wasn't with her at the time. I guess she didn't bothering me in the car, not like he would or anything.

I could see the excitement on his face. He was obviously happy to see me here. I felt it was him how convinced his mother to adopt me. Yugi probably begged her to adopt me.

"Sure that would be great," I answered happily.

"Alright just follow me," said Yugi cheerfully.

I followed him up the stairs and saw a small hallway. There were four doors that probably led to bedrooms, bathrooms or closets. The hallway turned at the end and Yugi said that went to the kitchen/dining room area. He led me to the second door on the right and opened it.

Inside was a small room with a bed, a dresser, and a closet. It was a plain white room, which made it very peaceful. If I had to guess, it was most likely the guestroom before I came.

"This place is nice," I commented.

"Thanks! This is the only room we had, so I'm glad you like it," said Yugi smiling up at me.

He looked so sweet and innocent. He reminds me so much of Seto, but Yugi already knows that I think that. They are alike in so many ways, but different in just as many. I wonder it they had met at the orphanage, would they have become friends.

I pushed the thought away as Yugi walked up to me and asked me something.

"Do you want me to show you around the house? Mother is busy and I know she would be happy if I did."

"Sure, it would be good if I knew my way around the place I live," I joked.

"Haha, alright. Come on, just follow me," he said as he ran out of the room.

He led me to the door that was right across from to room. Inside I saw pretty much the same things that were in my room except that this room had a desk and a sunroof.

"This is my room," said Yugi, breaking my train of thought.

"I like it, the sunroof is a nice touch," I commented.

"I like it because I can see the sky and clouds when I'm bored" he said with a smile.

I looked on his desk and I was a strange looking box. It was gold and had an odd-looking eye on it. It was open and pieces of what looked like a puzzle were scattered around it. Some of them were together, but it looked like progress had been made. I guess Yugi was working on it before I arrived.

"Hey Yugi, what's that thing on your desk," I asked, interested in what the object was.

"Oh that," he laughed," That's a puzzle my grandpa gave to me. Its really tough but I know I will figure it out," he said with his eyes glowing.

"Your grandfather must be very nice," I said.

"Ya, he's the best ever," Yugi said proudly. " He said that no one has ever finished the puzzle before. I plan on being the first," declared Yugi.

"He must have a lot of faith in you," I concluded. "I can't wait to meet him.

"Well, he lives here with us," announced Yugi, "He actually owns the Kame shop, I can take you to him now if you want."

"That would be great!"

Yugi led me down the stairs and toward a door situated beside them. Behind the door was evidently more stairs. We walked down to the basement and when got close to the door, I could hear someone talking on the other side.

"This goes here... no it goes here," said that gruff, yet kind voice coming from the other side of the door. I guess Yugi's grandfather likes to talk to himself.

Suddenly we heard a large crash. We rushed into the room to see Yugi's grandfather stuck under a pile of games.

"Grandpa, what happened," asked Yugi, his voice laced with concern.

"Oh, I was just trying to put this game on the top shelf, but I guess I must have hit the shelf and it fell over.

I couldn't help but laugh. I helped him stand up and he was almost a head and a half shorter than I was. I wonder what he was thinking if he thought that he could reach the top shelf.

"Oh," he said looking straight at me, "You must be the girl that is going to live here. I didn't think you would be so pretty. It's nice to meet you, " he said cheerfully.

I blushed a bit at his comment but it soon faded. "I'm glad to meet you to." I smiled as I thanked him for letting me stay here.

"The pleasure is all ours. We heard a lot about you from Yugi. He doesn't usually talk to people because of his shyness (I could see Yugi blushing as his grandpa talked). We knew that when he came home talking about you, we should adopt you," Mr. Moto explained.

"Thank you, both of you. I was happy to help him," I said.

"Your welcome. Yugi, why don't you show Marianne around the town, unless she already knows her way around town," suggested Mr. Moto.

"Do you need an escort around town?" asked Yugi.

"Yes, please," I answered.

"Ok, let's go. Bye Gramps!" said Yugi

I followed him back up the stairs and out the front door. We walked down the street together and into the center of Domino. He showed me all of his favorite places to go. He took me into the arcade, as well as the ice cream parlor. I could tell he was very excited about showing me around. After a while of random chatter, he started asking me about my life.

"So where did you live before?" he asked me.

"I lived outside of Domino. I never really came this far into the city before. My family didn't have the need to do so. I lived on a small estate so we only came to the city shop for things we needed. I didn't actually like coming into the city. I felt to cramped," I told him.

"So you don't like being here," Yugi asked, looking a little disappointed.

"I was forced before," I started, "but I know I will get used to it, now that I have a reason to be here," I said. He perked up when he heard me say this.

"Good, 'cause I don't want you to be unhappy," he replied.

I smiled at him and thought of Mokuba. He was always such a cheerful kid, even after what happened to us. He was so young and he had to suffer so much. I just hope that Mokuba and Seto were all right. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to them now that I was not with them.

"Hey Marianne, are you alright? You look sad," questioned Yugi.

I must have gone deep into my thoughts if sadness gripped my face. Yugi must have noticed my silence and started to worry.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking about something," I told him.

He believed me and we kept on walking. It started to get dark, so we decided to head home. When we got home, I followed Yugi up the stairs. This time, Yugi led me to the end of the hall. The dining room was small but it was cozy. There were four chairs around a small rectangular table. It was already set and I could smell tonight's dinner being cooked in the kitchen, which connected to the dining room. Yugi's mother walked in with the food as we walked into the room.

"Oh good, you two are back. I wouldn't want you both to miss dinner," she told us happily.

We sat at the table and waited for Yugi's Grandfather to come. When he arrived we ate and talked. They asked me questions about me and the way I lived before. I didn't hesitate to tell them anything. They were my new family, so they should know the basics about me. They listened and commented, but never pried for more information. They were so kind to me.

Afterwards, I felt very tired. I was exhausted after everything that happened. I told everyone that I was going to bed and they all said good night. I went to my room and laid down to think. I wanted to sleep, but I had so much on my mind. I was thinking about how Seto and Mokuba were. Were they all right? Was Seto still mad at me? I only want to know if they would be able to get through this as easily as I did. I didn't really like remembering the past. I was then that the terrible memory of the day we found out that our father had died crept into my mind.

* * *

><p><em>I was working on dinner like usual. It was Seto's birthday, so I wanted to make something special. Seto and Mokuba were upstairs at the moment and dad was on his way home. He usually worked very late, but he decided that today he would come home early.<em>

_I was almost finished when the phone started to ring. I picked it up with the hope that it was dad saying he was almost home._

_"Hello, Marianne speaking."_

_"Hello Marianne, this is Mrs. Goree, your neighbor," said the voice on the phone. She sounded like she was crying, like she was in a lot of distress. "I have some terrible news to tell you," she said through sniffles and small sobs._

_"What's the matter? What happened?" I almost yelled in to phone as I talked, but I didn't want to upset her even more. I would just be harder to understand her if I did._

_"Well... I was driving... down the street... and I saw something horrible," she stuttered._

_"Spit it out already!" I yelled wanting to know what she had to say... badly._

_"I'm sorry... it's just so hard to say," she cried. " While I was driving I was a terrible accident. I pulled over to see who it was and... and," she started crying again before she could finish what she was saying._

_I couldn't help but guess the worst. "No, it can't be, please tell me it's not."_

_"I'm sorry. The person I saw was your father. He was in the accident," she sobbed. I didn't want to believe her but I knew it was true. She wouldn't lie to me, would she?_

_"Please tell me he's Ok," I begged with tears starting to blur my vision._

_As soon as I asked the question, she broke down in tears again. She was crying harder than before. I took this as a sign of bad news._

_"I'm so sorry!" she cried in anguish. "He didn't make it. Your father was killed."_

_I hung up the phone in utter disbelief. I threw the phone down, fell to the ground, and started to cry. How could this be happening! It was Seto's birthday and we were supposed to be celebrating, not grieving. But now this happened. How were the boys going to handle this? Where were we going to go?_

_The boys must have heard me throw the phone because they came running down the stairs. They freaked out when they saw me._

_"What's wrong Marianne?" asked Seto. His blue eyes sparkled with concern._

_"It's father," I sobbed, "He was in a horrible accident and he was killed." I didn't try and hide the truth from them. They deserved to know. Even though they are young, they need to know what happened._

_I looked up and saw Seto staring at me in horror while Mokuba was crying his little eyes out. He ran toward me and wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his head into my stomach. I placed a hand on his back and rubbed it to try and comfort him. Seto walked behind him with his cobalt eyes to the floor, the look of distress still on his face. He put his arms around my neck and put his head on my shoulder, but unlike Mokuba, he did not shed any tears. It was almost as if he was trying to comfort me, instead of the other way around._

_"No, it's not true! It can't be true!" cried Mokuba._

_"I'm sorry Mokuba, you know I wouldn't lie to you," I said sadly._

_He cried into my lap some more, letting out all the sadness stored in his little body. It tore me to pieces knowing that he hurt so much._

_I looked at Seto and was the crushed look in his eyes. He was clearly upset, but he didn't cry. I don't know why, but I do know that it's bad to keep feelings locked up. He's so young, he can't just keep things locked up. I know it will come back to haunt him some day._

_We sat there for a while, not talking, just sitting there with each other. We were alone now and that fact was slowly sinking in. Where would we go? That was the question that kept hitting me. We weren't really close to our relatives. What would they do with us?_

_I picked the boys up after about ten minutes and took them to their room (They shared one because Seto wanted to look after Mokuba, even while they were sleeping). It was difficult carrying both of them, but I didn't want to let either of them go. They were both asleep before I left the room._

_I went to my own room and fell on my bed. The events that happened today reeled through my mind. I wish it were all a dream that I would wake up from soon. I would wake up to everyone home and happy, but I knew in my heart that every thing was real. I wouldn't be surprised if Seto hated his birthday now. _

* * *

><p>I laid there remembering the days that passed as well. Our life had deteriorated even further. Like I had predicted, our relatives abandoned us. They took our inheritance and took us to that godforsaken orphanage.<p>

Every time I think about that day, I remember how wrong I was about that phone call. That one call had nearly destroyed the life that I was slowly rebuilding. Even so, I knew I would be incomplete. I would never truly have my life back until I was reunited with my brothers, even if one of them hates me.


	5. Truth Revealed

Family Ties-Chapter 5

"What did you say!" screamed Joey.

"You heard me," replied Marianne calmly. He was annoyed at his reaction, but not surprised.

"How are you Kaiba's sister? You two are nothing alike! I can stand you but I can't stand that..." He stopped when he saw Marianne glaring at him. Even thought she was glaring, Joey could see how distraught she was.

"I'm sorry I didn't..." started Joey, but he was soon cut off.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault. If anything it's my fault," sighed Marianne.

"How is it your fault?" asked Tea, "You weren't even there with them."

"That's the point," snapped Marianne. "I wasn't there to help them through everything, anything! I don't know what happened to them while I wasn't there." Her hands were balled up into fists and she had a guilty look on her face.

She glanced over at them and saw them looking at her. She guessed they wanted her to explain.

"I wasn't there to know how much they suffered. It breaks my heart to know that they suffered." She was started to hold back tears that were forming in her eyes.

Yugi could hear the pain in her voice. He guessed this was a hard thing for her to talk about. "How do you know they suffered," was all that Yugi asked.

"Seto was never like this before. You may find it hard to believe, but he used to be gentle and kind. He would always encourage Mokuba when he was down and helped others that were in need."

"You're right, I don't believe that," said Joey.

"Why would I lie? What would I gain from it?" asked Marianne, who was clearly annoyed at Joey's reply.

"She has a point Joey," said Yugi, even though he couldn't really see Kaiba being like that either. He knew there was good inside of him, but he didn't really seem like he could be like Marianne described him as.

"Well if Kaiba was so nice than," scoffed Joey, "Then why is he not nice now."

"I don't know. Different things may have affected him. It might have been when Gozaburo adopted him or it could have been the day our father died," responded Marianne sadly.

Yugi looked up at her with sad eyes. When Marianne saw him, she knew what he wanted her to do. He wanted to know about that terrible day. Even so, Marianne couldn't relive that day again. It would bring her too much pain.

"He was only eight. Eight year olds shouldn't have to go through so much pain," explained Marianne.

"I would feel terrible if I found out my dad died," said Tea.

Marianne nodded her blue eyes dull with pain. "That's probably why Seto hates his birthday so much."

Marianne could only hear the silence that she had created.

"Oh," was all that Tea said in response.

After about a minute of silence, Joey asked, "Were you guys close at all?"

"We were family, of course we were close," Marianne answered harshly, but then her voice softened, "We had each other and that was it."

She knew the others probably had many questions, so she turned her head toward them and began to explain.

"Our other relatives didn't really care for us. We kept to ourselves most of the time. After our father died, our relatives abandoned us and took us to the orphanage. That's when we were truly on our own." She had a far off look on her face as she talked, like she was reliving the past in her mind.

"If you guys were so close, than how come Kaiba hasn't tried to look for you?" asked Joey with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"We were close but..." Her voice trailed off, as if she was deep within her thoughts.

"What happened," asked Yugi, reading her mind.

"It was the day I told him I was getting adopted," started Marianne. "Seto was very angry at me. He didn't want to see me go. We had a huge argument before I left. I haven't talked to him since. I doubt he even knows it's me."

"Even back then, the only person he cared about was himself," commented Joey.

"He was just a kid!" growled Marianne, "He didn't want to see our family divided. Family was the only thing that we had left! It killed me inside knowing how much he was hurting." Pain glittered deeply in her eyes. "I would have went and looked for him if I knew he wasn't mad at me anymore. I think he still is and I don't want to make him relive the past.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." started Joey before Marianne interrupted him again.

"Can we just drop it," yelled Marianne at a reasonable volume.

"Are you alright Marianne," asked Yugi out of concern for his older sister.

"I'm fine," said Marianne. Her voice was cold and distant like when she talked to Yugi and the others a week ago.

"It's time me and Brendan headed home," she said coolly.

"Ok, good-bye Marianne," replied Yugi as Marianne walked toward the fountain in the middle of the park. He couldn't help but worry about her. She had been so open about her past but now she was being very distant. He wondered what was going through her mind at the moment.

As Marianne neared the fountain, she spotted Brendan near a grove of trees playing with some of his friends. Maybe that's why he wanted to come to the park.

"Brendan, it's time to head home," said Marianne as she walked up to them. She could now see whom Brendan was with. He was playing with his friends Dylan, Chris, and Leah. Dylan had short, spiky brown hair with brown eyes, while Chris on the other hand had dirty blond hair and green eyes. Leah had curly brown hair with light blue eyes. They were all Brendan's age and lived near Marianne as well.

"But Mama, I want to play some more," whined Brendan.

"Please let him stay," asked Chris in a pleading voice.

"I'm sorry, but it is really time we headed home," said Marianne, not giving in to the begging looks on all the kid's faces.

"Alright Mama," said Brendan sadly.

Brendan said good-bye to his friends and walked by his mother's side. He looked at the ground, obviously trying to make Marianne feel guilty.

"Stop pouting Brendan, you're too old to do that,' said Marianne.

He lifted his head and looked up at her with sad eyes. Marianne guessed he was really enjoying himself.

"If you do, we can go get ice cream," offered Marianne.

He brightened up at the offer and said cheerfully "Alright!"

She laughed at his sudden change in attitude. It must be great to be a kid. She remembered being a kid and how easy things were. She thought of all the good times she'd had, but she also remembered the bad times.

She couldn't help but think of Seto. He had to grow up faster than most people do. He started running his own company at around 15 years old. Most 15 year-olds only have to worry about school and getting dates. He had to worry about business and making sure his company was doing well.

Her thoughts were broken by Brendan's excited yell. "Mama, we're here!"

She smiled and followed him into the ice cream parlor. It was small and its walls were painted a faded white. It was and old place, but it was still good. They walked to the counter and each got a chocolate chip cone. They happily and talked about today, although Marianne left out the part about Seto. Once they were done, they headed home. Unlike before, Brendan held his head high and walked confidently. She was happy to see him in high spirits again.  
>,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,<p>

"Seto, why did we have to leave so early?" asked Mokuba, who was still disappointed about leaving.

"I didn't want to be near those dorks," replied Kaiba coolly.

They were still walking back home from the park. Their mansion was a long walk away from the park. Mokuba was lucky Seto had even agreed to walk with him to the park. He would normally have told him that they could take the limo, but Mokuba had insisted on walking.

"Well can we go somewhere else?" asked Mokuba.

Kaiba looked at his brother and saw his puppy dog eyes. He wanted to spend time with his brother and make him happy. It would hurt to stay out with him a little longer. As long as the geek patrol didn't show up, he would be fine.

"Fine, where do you want to go."

Mokuba's eyes lit up as he started to think of where to go. It wasn't long before he pointed to a building. "Let's go there!"

Kaiba's eyes drifted to where Mokuba was pointing. He had chosen a small ice cream parlor. Kaiba rolled his eyes at his brother's childish nature, but didn't argue. He didn't really eat sweets often, but he could this one time.

They walked in and over to the counter. Mokuba ordered chocolate and Kaiba did the same. They walked to an empty booth and sat down. Mokuba at happily and Kaiba was amused at how his brother ate.

Kaiba was beginning to enjoy himself until he heard laughter coming from another booth. He glanced over at the other booth and became very angry, very quickly.

It was that girl! The girl he had argued with was here as well, but she wasn't alone. The little kid was here as well. He guessed she left the other dorks at the park.

"Thanks for bringing me here Mama," Kaiba heard the boy say.

"No problem kid," said the girl as she reached across the table to ruffle the boy's hair, just like Kaiba does to Mokuba every once in a while.

'So that kid's her son,' thought Kaiba. He couldn't really think of her as a girl now.

His thoughts broke as he heard more laughter. He got angry just listening to it.

'Why does she have to be here,' thought Kaiba angrily. 'Why can't she just stay out of my life.'

He was instantly relieved to see the two walk out. The boy seemed excited for some reason, but Kaiba didn't really care. He was just glad they left.

Kaiba hoped they hadn't seen him. He didn't want to argue with her and he was the kind of person that usually wanted to argue with people he thought were wrong. He just didn't want to argue with her in the parlor. Anyway, he knew he was right, and she was wrong. If she had seen him, she didn't acknowledge him. The thought of someone ignoring him made him a little angry, even if it was that girl

Mokuba finished his ice cream soon after Kaiba finished his own. They exited the parlor and continued their walk home.


	6. First Day of School

Family Ties-Chapter 6

"Great, school," I mumbled to myself.

Today was my first day of school at Domino High. I have never actually been to a real school before. This is going to be an interesting experience for me. My father and the orphanage home schooled me before.

I wonder how it will be. Will I make any friends? Will the people here even accept me? I guess I will just have to wait and see.

The school was large and all the classrooms were spacious. The only thing I didn't like was the stupid uniform they made the students wear. I hate wearing skirts, and pink no less!

I went to the front office to receive my schedule. I got lost a lot, but after a while I found it.

"Hello, my name is Marianne Moto. I'm new here and I need to pick up my schedule," I said to the lady behind the desk.

"Ah, Ms. Moto, yes we have been expecting you," said the lady behind the desk. She handed me my schedule and directed me to my homeroom.

When I got to my class, I hesitated before I opened the door. I usually never get nervous, but I guess this is just foreign to me. I don't really like being near so many people and I never have. I didn't really live near many people before and most of them weren't my age. I'm just not really a people person.

Luckily, the teacher must have known I was coming and came to the door. He was a tall man with a kind face and it made me feel welcome.

"You must be the new student I've heard of. My name is Mr. Miller. Come in and I'll introduce you to the class."

By that time, I was over my previous nervousness. I held my head high and walked confidently into the class.

The class was small. Barely half the room was filled, and compared to other classes that I walked by, this one seemed miniscule. I counted about 15 other students. As I walked in, all the students looked up at me with questioning eyes. In return, I gave them a cold stare back. I wasn't trying to look mean, but I wanted to hide my emotions. I didn't know if I could trust any of them yet.

"Class, I would like to introduce you to the newest addition to our class. This is Ms. Marianne Moto. Please make her feel welcome."

The class said hello in unison and I bowed to them. "It's nice to meet you all," I said monotonously.

"Alright Ms. Moto, you can sit over there next to Mr. Anderson," said Mr. Miller as he turned to the board to start class for the day.

I walked over to my seat, no falter in my step. I walked slowly so I could get a look at the class again. I saw that some of the girls were looking and they looked... hostile? I don't know what I did, but apparently they don't like me. I pretended not to notice and sat at my desk.

I listened to the teacher as he taught us about algebra. 'I already know all of this,' I thought, 'its way too easy.' I spaced out for a little before I heard Mr. Miller call out my name.

"Ms. Moto, would please solve the equation for x."

I looked at the board and saw a complicated equation. At least, the other students thought it was. I remember father teaching me equations like this, so I easily did it in my head. I looked around, pretending to be a bit confused and nervous and saw the same girls staring at me with laughter in their eyes. They obviously wanted me to embarrass myself. I tried to hide my amusement.

"Come on new girl, don't you know the answer," sneered on of the girls.

I stopped myself from laughing and just smirked instead. I answered the question with ease. I glanced around and saw the girls glaring at me again. I fooled their little halfwit plans. I turned my eyes back to the front of the room and listened to lesson.

The girls didn't bother me after that. They knew that they couldn't beat me at academics. They glared at me occasionally, but I didn't really care.

They day went quickly and soon it was time for lunch. I took my laptop, which I always have with me, and followed the other students to the cafeteria. I sat by myself since I didn't really talk to the people in my class. I took out my laptop and starting working on a personal programming project I started before father had died. When I'm older, I want to be a famous programmer, so I might as well get good at it now, rather than later.

I worked on my project peacefully until someone came up behind me and said "Hey!"

I looked to see who it was and I was mildly surprised. It was the boy who I sat next to in class and two people who I guessed was his friends. He was smiling down at me while I just started up at him with cold emotion.

"Hey Marianne, I just wanted to introduce myself, since we are in the same class and all," he told me.

"Very well," I responded flatly, keeping my cold stare intact.

"Well my name is James," he said. He had light brown hair that was cut short and deep blue eyes. He was very muscular, but he was also tall and skinny. He looked at me kindly and continued to introduce his friends.

"This is Athena," he said, pointing to a girl who was medium height with dirty blonde hair. She had brown eyes and I noticed she didn't look at me like the other girls. Her eyes were kinder and accepting.

"And this is Luther," he said as he pointed toward the boy beside him. He was a little shorter then James and had brown eyes. His brown hair was a little longer than James's was and his eyes were soft and accepting as well.

"It's nice to meet you all," I said, but not really excitedly. I wasn't the kind of person to be overjoyed with making new friends.

"Is it alright if we sit with you," asked Athena.

"That's fine."

They sat down around me and tried starting conversations with me. I most answered the questions with one-word answers, but some of the questions required larger answers.

"So what's with the laptop," asked Luther.

"I'm working on a project I started a while ago. I want to be a programmer when I'm older so this is a way for me to improve my skills as well as create something new," I answered.

"That's pretty cool," said James. "I know you can so that if you want. You are really smart, but I guess it makes sense since you're a Moto."

"What's that supposed to mean," I asked.

"Your grandfather," he said as if it was an obvious fact, "He's one of the best gamers in the world and he's really wise to."

"Really, I didn't know that," I said, genuinely surprised at what I had learned.

"Well he's your grandpa, how could you not know," James asked, obviously confused.

"He's not actually my grandfather," I said quietly. "The family adopted me a few weeks ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry if we offended you," apologized Athena.

"It's alright, you didn't know," I said.

"So, where did you live before," asked Luther.

"I lived on the outside of Domino. There weren't any schools around so I was home schooled. Me and my brothers were the only kids for miles," I explained.

"Did you live in a town," questioned Athena.

"No, my family owned a small estate. There were others around, but I wouldn't call it a town."

"Oh, I get it," said Luther.

"So what happened to you brothers," asked James tentatively. It was obvious to me that he was uncomfortable asking the question.

"They're still at the orphanage for all I know," I replied coldly.

He must have taken my answer as a hint to stop asking question because that's the last one I heard. They talked among themselves for a bit while I just sat and listened. They tried to get me into a conversation, but it was all in vain. I usually just replied with short comments. It was all going fine until the girls in my class that were glaring at me walked up.

"Oh look, the new girl actually made friends," said one of the girls cruelly.

I just glanced at them with cold eyes and then ignored them completely.

"Is new girl to scared to talk to us popular girls," chided another.

"Hey why don't you all back off," said Athena defensively.

_'They're actually defending me,'_ I thought, 'we barely know each other and they are sticking up for me.

"Why should we listen to you?" said the girl who spoke first. I guess she's the leader of their little group.

"Maybe because it isn't right to mess with someone you don't know." This time it was James who spoke up.

I looked up at the girls and saw their surprised faces. They probably weren't expecting James to stand up for me. It was amusing seeing the stupid looks on their faces.

"But James, we..." started one girl.

"Why don't you guys just leave us alone," interrupted James.

The girls' faces turned sour as they turned and walked away without an argument.

"Finally they're gone," said Athena as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was that about," I asked, still confused as to why they hate me.

"They're probably jealous," laughed Luther.

"Why would they be," I asked.

"Because you get to be near James," laughed Athena.

I raised an eyebrow, still not knowing what they were talking about. They took my silence as an appropriate time to explain themselves.

"James is one of the most popular guys in the school," explained Luther. "Most of the girls in the school have a crush on him, especially that one group of girls. They're his biggest fans."

I looked over at James and saw him blushing a little bit. He was probably embarrassed by Luther's comment. I just laughed at it.

"Even though I haven't know him for that long, I don't really see James being a ladies man," I laughed.

"I'm not," admitted James. "That's why I try and avoid the girls. I'm not interested in them but they don't really seem to understand."

"That makes sense," I commented.

It looked like James was about to add something when the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. He didn't have time to finish what he was about to say.

"I guess we should go back to class," James said instead.

I closed my laptop and returned it to its case. I walked back to class with James, Luther, and Athena quietly. We arrived to class before anyone else so we just waited in our seats for everyone else.

"Hey Marianne, can I ask you something?" asked James as we waited.

"Sure what is it," I answered.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out this weekend if aren't busy?" asked James sheepishly.

'I guess he' still a little nervous about talking to me' I thought. "Sure, I'm not doing anything," I answered.

"Great!" he said cheerfully.

I chucked at his sudden change in attitude. It was amusing for me to watch people change from a nervous person to a confident one. I hope one day Yugi will be one of those people I get to see change.

My thoughts were broken by another question by James. "Is it alright if we come over to your house? The Kame shop is well known and easy to find."

"Yes that's fine." I told him.

He smiled and turned back to his desk just as the teacher walked in.

They day went smoother than when it first began. The girls (whose names I didn't really care to learn) didn't bother me anymore. My first day of school had gone better than I had hoped.

_'So this is what school is like,'_ I thought._ 'I think I can get used to this.'_

* * *

><p>School went by quickly. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned to months. I spent most of my time with either Yugi or my friends. As the time went by, I grew closer to James. I didn't really know why, but it felt right. He always knows how to make me happy...<p>

"Hey Marianne, look at this article!"

Athena, who pushed a piece of paper into my face, interrupted my thoughts. It was the end of the day and we were in the class gathering our things before we left. I was about to leave but Athena stopped me from doing so.

"What's this?" I asked, pushing the paper away from my face.

"It's article about Gozaburo Kaiba. Apparently he just adopted two kid," explained Athena. I didn't really have any interest in business-men's lives.

"I wonder why he would do that," said James, with a puzzled look on his face.

"Its says here that one of the kids is a prodigy and he wouldn't go anywhere without his brother. I also heard that the kid beat Mr. Kaiba in a chess game. How embarrassing!" said Luther, who had taken the paper out of Athena's hand.

As soon as he described how the boy got adopted, I had a bad feeling that I knew the kids that had been adopted.

"Is there a picture?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Yes, there is. Here," said Athena. She handed me the picture, a confused look on her face. She was probably wondering why I had a sudden interest on what the boys looked like.

I took one look at the picture and saw that my worst fears had been realized. I felt my face pale and my hands started shaking. I could feel the stares of my friends' burn into my skin.

"What's the matter Marianne, you look like you've just seen a ghost," questioned Luther.

I snapped out of my daze and quickly regained my composure. I looked back at them unemotionally.

"It's nothing," I answered flatly.

"Alright," said Athena still not convinced.

"I have something I need to do," I announced. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." I walked out of the room and around the corner. I found a spot where no one could find me. I leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. I hugged my knees to my chest and started to cry. I didn't notice it when someone walked behind me.

"The boys in the picture," I heard James ask out of concern, "they're your brothers, aren't they.

I was surprised at the question because I didn't think anyone had remembered me talking about my brothers. James always has ways of surprising me like that. "Yes," I said weakly.

"It can't be that bad, I mean he's a billionaire," said James. I could tell he was trying to cheer me up, but it wasn't really helping.

"Yes but he is also a heartless, cruel man," I replied harshly. "I don't know what he'll do to my little brothers.

"I'm sorry," said James quietly. He came and sat down next to me. I knew he was looking at me but I didn't look up at him. I didn't answer him either, I just buried my head into my knees. I couldn't help it. I had no way of helping my brothers now. I couldn't do a thing if Gozaburo hurt them.

We just sat there for a while. Other than the occasional sob I made, it was silent. That's when I felt a hand on my back. I looked up to see that I was right about James, he was looking at me very sadly. My mind was so foggy that I didn't realize my arms start to wrap around his neck. He didn't seem to mind at all. He just hugged me back and began running his fingers through my hair. It was so comforting.

A simple "Thank you," was all that I could muster.

"This is just my way of saying I care," James replied.

I looked up at him and right into his blue eyes. I could see the compassion glittering in his eyes. He stared back at me and did something I didn't really expect. He leaned down to me and kissed me. I was surprised at first, but I soon got over it and returned the kissed. He leaned closer to me and deepened the kiss. I didn't object.

He broke the kiss and put his forehead against mine. It felt so right to be in his arms.

"Thank you," I repeated.

"Everything will be alright," he promised me. "I won't let anything happen to me."

"I trust you," was all I said as he helped me onto my feet. He supported me as walked down the hallway and out of the school. He walked home with me in utter silence. I didn't really mind it because it was a comfortable silence.

It was from that silence that my new life was created.

From that silence, I knew that one-day I would be complete again.


	7. Stolen

Family Ties-Chapter 7

"Seto, do you think we could go do something together?"

"It depends Mokuba," replied Kaiba to his hyperactive brother.

"Aw come on! I wanna go to the arcade with you today," complained Mokuba. "You've been to busy to hang out with me lately."

Kaiba wasn't really in the mood to argue with his little brother today. He was tired and those arguments usually didn't end well for him.

"Fine," huffed Kaiba after contemplating the matter.

"Awesome!" said Mokuba excitedly as he ran out of Kaiba's study.

Kaiba closed his laptop after he saved his work. He had been working on some plans for a new duel disk before Mokuba came and interrupted him. He was actually getting tired of working (which was rare,) and really needed a break. Hanging out with Mokuba would be a good way of getting away from work without actually admitting it. If anyone asked he could just say that Mokuba forced him, which wasn't that far from the truth.

Kaiba got up from his desk and followed Mokuba out into the hallway. He went down the stairs and into the large main room. He could see Mokuba waiting impatiently at the door for him so he picked up his pace.

"Tell Roland that I'm going somewhere with Mokuba before he tries to bother me," Kaiba commanded one of his guards posted at the door. Kaiba walked off before the guard could answer him.

"Come on!" yelled Mokuba over his shoulder at his brother.

Kaiba had to quicken his pace to catch with his energetic brother. Mokuba hadn't gone to far ahead, but Kaiba didn't want to lose sight of him.

"Walk faster Seto, we don't have all day," said Mokuba as he ran farther ahead.

"Wait up Mokuba don't go to far..." started Kaiba before he was stopped by a gasp of alarm. Right in front of his eyes, Kaiba could only watch as a man that was riding a motorcycle took Mokuba off his feet. Mokuba tried to get free, but the man responded by knocking him unconscious with a blow to the head.

"Mokuba, no!" screamed Kaiba as he watched them race away. He ran after them as fast as he could, but it was all in vain. The biker went as fast as he had came.

"MOKUBA," he screamed again. Kaiba turned around and ran back to his mansion as fast as he could. He had already pulled out his phone and called Roland, alerting him of the situation. Kaiba could only hope that his brother was OK.

* * *

><p>"Come on Mama,' said Brendan.<p>

"Alright kid just be patient," replied Marianne.

They were heading home after playing at Yugi's house for a while. It had been a month since the incident at the park and things had died down. They went to Yugi's house often now. Yugi and Brendan had bonded quickly and they enjoyed each other's company. Whenever they went over, no one ever mentioned either of the Kaiba brothers.

"Were almost home," said Brendan excitedly.

Marianne was about to respond but she was interrupted by a large crash that came from behind. She turned around and her eyes widened at the sight. A motorcycle had crashed and the victim was crawling out from the rubble. He looked like he wasn't that hurt, but Marianne didn't know that for a fact.

Marianne was about to go and help him, but then she saw what he was holding. I looked like a black puffball with limbs. She recognized Mokuba immediately. Her worry turned to rage as the man ran toward her with Mokuba slung over his shoulder.

"Hey stop!" yelled Marianne. She ran in front of the man and stood in his way. Brendan followed her and held onto her leg when she stopped.

"Get out of my way lady," growled the man. "I have important business to take care of."

"Give Mokuba back," demanded Marianne.

"And what if I don't?" sneered the man.

"Do you really want to know?" replied Marianne sarcastically.

Marianne wasn't prepared for what happened next. The man only smirked at Marianne's response. She was surprised when he shot forward, punching her in the stomach. The attack had caught her off guard, so she wasn't prepared for it. Behind her, she could hear Brendan scream as the man grabbed him by the collar and ran off. Marianne could only watch as the man hit Brendan on the side of the head, knocking him unconscious.

"Come back!" Marianne screamed at the man with tears in her eyes. She started to run after him as soon as she recovered for his attack. She stayed behind him, hidden from his sight. She didn't want him to know that he was being followed.

After running for what felt like hours, they reached a warehouse near Domino Pier. It was run down and looked abandoned from the outside appearance. Marianne watched as the kidnapper ran into the warehouse. She was about to follow, but she stopped short when she saw two men walk out. They stopped and stood near the door, obviously guarding it and its "contents."

'This may be more difficult than I originally planned,' thought Marianne. 'I only hope they don't do any harm to them.'

* * *

><p>"That's where he is," mumbled Kaiba quietly to himself.<p>

Kaiba was lucky he put that tracking device in Mokuba's locket. He wouldn't have found him any other way. The device had led him to an empty warehouse on the pier, a normal setting for kidnapper's hideouts. In one hand he held his locket tightly and in the other was the GPS that showed Mokuba's location.

Kaiba arrived at the warehouse in time to witness that man who had taken Mokuba go into the building. Two guards soon replaced the man at the entrance of the building.

_'Great, now I'm going to have to go through them,'_ thought Kaiba. '_Or maybe I can find another way in.'_

Kaiba knew that there were probably more people in the warehouse, waiting for him to strike. Even if he got through the guards, he would have to deal with the men inside as well.

Kaiba was thinking through his options when he was a shadowy figure move near him. He stiffened as the shadow moved closer to him. Had someone found him already?

He started to sweat, hoping he wouldn't be caught. If he did, then he would have to deal with the guards. All the noise from outside would probably startle the people inside as well.

He started at the figure as he saw it slink away from him and toward the guards, who were still oblivious to the shadow's presence. Kaiba was surprised when he saw the figure creep out of the shadows. It was that woman! What was she doing here in the first place? Is she in league with those kidnappers?

He was still questioning her presence when he saw her move stealthily closer to the guars. She maneuvered her way behind the one of the guards, unseen. She quietly picked up a piece of stone near her and raised it above her head. She slammed the rock against the guard's head with great strength, causing him to crumple to the ground, knocked out cold.

The other quickly spotted her and started yelling foul words at her. Kaiba could see the look of pure hatred in her eyes. Even from his distance, Kaiba could feel the hatred and anger emitting from her. She was smirking at the man and laughed at him as well. The guard's face turned red with anger and he threw a punch at her. She side stepped the blow, easily dodging it and caught the guard's hand in the air. She pulled him toward her and punched him in the stomach with great force. Before he could fall to the ground, she kicked him square in the chest. Kaiba heard the air being forced from him and he fell back onto the ground. The woman stood over him, proud of her victory.

Kaiba was utterly confused as to what he had just witnessed. The fight had gone by so quickly and he had no idea as to why it had happened. She had disposed of the guards quicker that he could have. But why was she so mad at them? That's what Kaiba really wanted to know.

After the fight, the woman walked briskly toward the entrance of the warehouse. As she walked, her hands were balled up tightly into fists. Kaiba could see the rage in her every step. He wouldn't want to be on the other end of those fists. It was still a mystery to his as to why she was so outraged at those kidnappers.

* * *

><p>Mokuba's eyes flittered opened to a dimly lit room. He looked around him and saw that he was locked in a fairly large cage. He had no idea how he got there and why he was there in the first place, but then he remembered what had happened early. He quickly stood up but as he did he doubled over in pain from the wounds he had received from the crash. They really stung and it was painful to even breathe.<p>

"Oww, why does this always happen to me," whined Mokuba.

He could feel his tears start to burn his eyes. Mokuba wished that his brother were here. Seto would be able to get him out of this easily, like he always does.

He was about to starting yelling for someone when he heard a small whimper of pain come from the opposite side of the cage. He turned and saw a boy younger than him lying on his stomach. His eyes were closed but his face was scrunched up in pain.

"Hey are you OK," asked Mokuba, worried for the boy's safety. Mokuba wondered what he was doing here and why the kidnappers wanted him.

The boy opened his eyes lazily and looked up at Mokuba. Mokuba could see the pain that glazed over his eyes and pitied him.

"I don't know," answered the boy weakly. He started to push himself into a sitting position, but it looked like he was having difficulties doing so. It took him a little while and Mokuba could see by his slow movements that he was exhausted.

"What's your name?" asked Mokuba after the boy had situated himself comfortably.

"My name is Brendan," replied the boy, his voice was still shaky and weak.

The boy looked straight at Mokuba, and even though the room's lighting was bad, he could still get a good look at the boy. His brown hair was ruffled and his blue eyes were like dulled sapphires. He had scratches on his face and his arms. For some reason, Brendan reminded Mokuba of someone, but he couldn't put his finger on who it was.

"Where are we?" asked Brendan.

"I don't really know," sighed Mokuba.

"Why are we here?" questioned Brendan.

"They probably want to use me as a bribe to try and get something from my brother," answered Mokuba, ice dripping from every word. "People think that I'm a ticket for getting to my brother but they are wrong. My brother always comes and rescues me before the kidnappers have any chance of harming me."

"Oh" was all that Brendan said.

"I don't really know why you're here though," admitted Mokuba. "I don't know what they want from your family."

"Well the last thing I remember is Mama trying to stop the person who took you. The man hurt Mama and hit me in the head, then I woke up here," explained Brendan, his eyes brimming with tears.

"It was nice of your Mother to try and save me," thanked Mokuba. "I'm just sorry that you were taken as well."

"It's fine, it wasn't you fault," sighed Brendan. "I know Mama will come and get me no matter what!" Mokuba could see Brendan's eyes light up as he talked about his mother.

Mokuba was about to respond when he heard a small thump on the wall beside their cage. After the noise died down, a small crack of light beamed into the room. Mokuba saw a tall figure sneak into the room. The figure moved stealthily around the room and closer to the cage. As it got closer, the figure became a little clearer to Mokuba.

_'Seto!'_ thought Mokuba excitedly. _'He's here!'_

He was overjoyed to see his older brother. He could see Seto's blue eyes reflecting the dim light around them. He could only see Seto's eyes, but there was something different about them. The reason for the difference became clearer as he stepped up to the door of the cage.

"Mama!" exclaimed Brendan happily, his previous fatigue gone.

"It's not Seto?" asked Mokuba, more to himself than to anyone else. It confused his as to why and how he could mistake Brendan's mother for Seto.

"Brendan I'm here, it's going to be alright," said his mother soothingly. She kneeled down and took out a small tool. She easily picked the amateur lock and opened the door swiftly. As soon as the door opened, Brendan jumped into his mother's arms. She held him close, whispering calming words into his ear while he cried on her shoulder. Mokuba almost felt jealous of Brendan, wishing he had a mother that would do that for him each time he was taken away from his family.

It didn't take Mokuba long to realize who Brendan's mother was. He could tell that it was the same women that Seto had argued with in the park. Mokuba didn't really agree with the things she had said about his brother, but he didn't want to bring that up now. She was the one that had rescued him and he was grateful for that.

* * *

><p>"Are you hurt? What did they do to you?" asked Marianne frantically, worry glittering in her eyes.<p>

"I'm fine Mama," replied Brendan, his face still buried in her shoulder. Marianne was glad that he was OK and he was happy to be with his mother.

"Excuse me Ma'am but can we please leave this place. The longer we stay, the longer we'll be in danger," asked Mokuba. He sound really irritated but Marianne guessed it was because he had just been kidnapped.

"Fine, just follow right behind me and don't make any unnecessary noise. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention to ourselves," warned Marianne as she headed slowly towards the exit. The two boys nodded in response and followed Marianne. They had to walk at a faster pace to keep up with Marianne's large steps. It didn't take them long to reach the door.

Marianne crouched down and spoke quietly to the boys, "This door leads to a fairly large room. The room we are currently in is located at the middle of the warehouse. We are going to have move quickly and quietly through this room to get out of the warehouse. The boys nodded and Marianne stood up before opening the door.

The room before them was much larger than the one they were in. The walked into the room silently. Marianne moved as quickly as she could without the threat of being seen, but that wasn't very fast. They moved behind crates and boards, keeping themselves hidden from sight the entire time. They had made their way across the room without hearing another sound. They neared the exit but before they could reach it, a shadowy figure blocked their way.

"Well look who's escaped," sneered the man. It was the same man that had taken the boys in to first place, the man who had crashed his motorcycle. He wasn't alone, Marianne soon realized as two other men came up behind Marianne.

"Get out of my way," growled Marianne, venom dripping from her words.

The man just starting laughing maniacally. "You three aren't going anywhere."

"Just try and stop us," challenged Marianne.

Before the man could reply, Marianne jumped forward and punched the man in the nose. She couldn't help but get a feeling of satisfaction when she heard his nose break. Oh how sweet revenge could be. Marianne grabbed him by the neck and pushed him into a pile of empty crates. The two other men reacted to this by trying to jump Marianne. This attack failed miserably as Marianne quickly dodged the attack.

"Get out of here you two!" screamed Marianne. She wanted the boys to get out of harms way immediately, she didn't want them to get hurt.

" But Mama, I don't want to go anywhere without you," argued Brendan, tears flowing heavily from his eyes.

"GO NOW," yelled Marianne as she tried to keep the men from getting near the boys.

"Please be safe Mama," begged Brendan as Mokuba pulled him out of the door.

Marianne, relieved that they were safe now, turned back to the two men. They were back on their feet again after Marianne had kicked them both to the ground. They were running toward her, trying to jump on her again. They were on opposite sides of each other and when Marianne dodged the assault, the two men ran into each other, knocking themselves out. Marianne watched them fall to the ground in defeat. She glared at them for a second and then started walking toward the exit.

She stopped when she heard the rustling of crates. She looked over to the pile of empty crates and saw the man she pushed sitting up slowly. He was glaring at her with cold hatred. His hand was covering his nose, which was bleeding heavily. She watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out something shiny. Her eyes widened as she realized it was gun. She froze as she saw the man's finger pull the trigger of the gun. She didn't have any time to react as she heard the pop of the gun and the searing pain that erupted in her left shoulder as the bullet made contact with its target.


	8. Rescue

Family Ties-Chapter 8

"Now I just wait," mumbled Kaiba to himself.

Kaiba had his whole plan thought through. He would wait and see how things played out. If any sudden noises come from the warehouse, he would go in. Otherwise he would stay put. His intervention could get Mokuba hurt if he went in at the wrong time.

He sat behind some crates, waiting for the right time to strike. As if on cue, Kaiba heard a large crash emit from the warehouse. He stood up quickly and ran toward the door.

Kaiba shortened the distance between himself and the door quickly. He was stopped short when the door flew open and two small figures burst out of it. They ran into Kaiba and knocked him off his feet.

"What the..." grunted Kaiba as he hit the ground.

"Big Brother! Is that you?" asked one of the figures that knocked him over.

"Mokuba!"

"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba as he wrapped his arms around Kaiba's neck. Kaiba instinctively pulled Mokuba closer to him, relieved that he was safe.

"Are you alright Mokuba," asked Kaiba worriedly.

"I'm fine Seto, but we have to go back," explained Mokuba.

"Why would you want to go back in there," asked Kaiba looking confused.

"Brendan's mother is still in there!" said Mokuba frantically.

"Who?" asked Kaiba, raising an eyebrow in the process. Kaiba knew that he was talking about the women who entered before him but he didn't know who Brendan was.

"My Mama!" said the young boy that Kaiba had not seen after the boy had ran into him. Kaiba felt a weight lift off of him and saw the boy come and tug on his arm. He had tears flowing, his eyes red and puffy. Kaiba recognized him from the ice cream shop, the woman's son.

"Please, you have to help my Mama," begged Brendan. The boy was still pulling on his arm, trying to get Kaiba to help his mother.

"Look I..." Kaiba began, but stopped when he heard a large _bang_ come from the warehouse. Brendan's eyes widened and he turned toward the building. He would have run to it if Kaiba hadn't grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"Let me go!" yelled Brendan. "Mama may be hurt! I can't lose her!" His tears were falling heavier than before and his face had a look of shear terror on it.

"You could get hurt to if you go in there," replied Kaiba calmly.

"Then you go in there!" screamed Brendan. "I can't lose my Mama!"

Even though Kaiba was reluctant to save that annoying woman, he owed her for saving Mokuba. Out of everything he hated, owing people was near the top.

Kaiba got to his feet and wiped the dust off himself. He told Mokuba to make sure Brendan didn't follow him. Mokuba nodded and Kaiba headed toward the door. As he neared the entrance he could hear people yelling from inside. He was about to open the door when he heard another gun shot.

"MAMA," Kaiba heard Brendan scream from behind him. He turned around and saw Mokuba holding the young boy back. Brendan had his free arm wrapped over his eyes, not wanting to see how hurt his mother was when Kaiba returns with her.

Kaiba's focus returned to the task ahead and he opened the door to a horrific sight. It was dark inside by Kaiba could still see the scene before him. He saw Brendan's mother covered in her own blood that still flowed heavily from the wounds on her left shoulder. She was leaning forward, obviously exhausted from the trauma of the shot, and her right hand was on her wounds, trying to stop the bleeding. Kaiba could also see that man responsible for the women's pain. He had a bloodthirsty look on his face, one that Kaiba was very familiar with. He still had the gun in one hand and his other hand was holding his nose, which had blood coming from it. Kaiba guessed Brendan's mother broke his nose.

"You're going to pay for ruining my plans," said man darkly.

"I'm not easily disposed of," replied Brendan's mother weakly. The loss of blood was taking a heavy toll on her.

"We'll see about that," challenged the man as he smiled menacingly at her.

The man raised his gun again and aimed it at the woman's head. Kaiba sneaked around to the side of the scene unnoticed. He could see from where he was the look of anger and terror on the woman's face.

"Prepare to die," laughed the man.

He placed a finger on the trigger and a bang echoed through the warehouse. Kaiba watched as Brendan's mother narrowly dodged a bullet to the head. It missed her head but made contact with her already severely injured shoulder. She cried in agony and nearly fell to the ground but she somehow found the strength to stay standing.

The man frowned and yelled "Lucky for you, but this time I won't miss!"

This time he walked closer to the woman so that he stood at point blank range. Kaiba could tell that she was to exhausted to dodged this bullet. She could only stare back at the man, her eyes full of hatred.

"Now say your good-byes," laughed the man. Kaiba took that as a call to action. He sprang from his hiding spot and easily grasped the mans neck in his hand. He ripped the gun from the man's hand and slammed the butt of the gun against the man's head. The man fell to the ground, knocked out cold. Kaiba threw the gun in a random direction so the man wouldn't find it easily.

"What are you doing here," Kaiba heard the woman ask softly behind him. He turned toward her to get a better look at her and he saw just how hurt she was. Her head hung low and Kaiba could tell that she was trying hard to stay conscious. Her shoulder was worse then before now that another bullet had entered her body.

"Saving you, what does it look like," replied Kaiba coolly.

It looked like she was about to reply but than she fell to the ground instead. Kaiba ran over to her and caught her before her head hit the floor. He could feel her ragged breathing as well as the small tremors that went through her body. He picked her up bridal style, with her injured shoulder leaning against his chest. He swiftly exited the building and found Mokuba and Brendan.

"Mama!" yelled Brendan in horror as he saw his mother. Kaiba felt sorry for the boy. He had to see his mother covered in her own blood, nearly dead...

"We need to get her to a hospital," said Kaiba. Brendan was already beside him, crying harder now that he knew exactly how hurt his mother was. He came up and took her hand, which hung limply at her side.

"Mama, you have to be OK," sobbed Brendan, who had pulled his mother's hand to his face.

Kaiba looked down at him sadly. He knew the pain of losing a mother himself. He knew how much Brendan was hurting right now.

He pressed the button on his collar and spoke swiftly, "Roland, send an ambulance to my location immediately," barked Kaiba.

"Yes sir," answered Roland over the radio in Kaiba's trench coat.

A few minutes later an ambulance reached their location. As soon as it stopped, Kaiba waited as the two nurses in the ambulance opened the back and he hopped in. Kaiba laid Brendan's mother on a gurney, her hand still in Brendan's. The nurses had to remove his hand so they could work on his mother. Kaiba could hear him whispering to quietly to himself but the words were to hard to understand under his sobs.

The nurse worked quickly in bandaging the woman's wounds. Even though she had bandages on, blood still flowed heavily from her shoulder. Her wounds would need more attention if she was going to survive this.

They reached the hospital in a short amount of time and as soon as they did, the nurses took Brendan's mother to the ER. Brendan tried to follow them but he was stopped by a nurse who than escorted them to a waiting room. Kaiba didn't really want to stay but he had to watch Brendan for his mother. He owed her that.

They sat in the waiting room for what felt like hours. Nurses and doctors came and went as the time ticked away. Some of them asked Kaiba questions about what had happened as well as his relations to the woman. He told them that he had no idea who she was as well as the story of how she got hurt. They also asked Brendan some questions but he was too upset to answer most.

"Do you have any relatives that live nearby?" asked one of the nurses.

"Yes, my uncle lives near here," answered Brendan. "I can give you his number."

The nurse nodded, listened to the boy as he recited the number and walked off to call Brendan's uncle. Kaiba hoped he came soon so he wouldn't have to stay any longer. He didn't leave sooner because he didn't want to leave the boy alone. He could have asked a nurse to watch him but Kaiba knew that it was better to do something by yourself then trust someone else to do it for you.

They entire fiasco had drained Kaiba of most of his energy. He shut his eyes for a little bit and calmed himself. The waiting room was quiet and peaceful. The only noise came from Brendan in the form of his soft sobs.

It wasn't long before the door creaked open and Kaiba heard a nurse say, "Your nephew is this way sir."

Kaiba opened his eyes lazily and turned his head to see who was at the door. His eyes widened when he saw Yugi and the rest of the geek patrol enter the room. Yugi caught sight of him and Kaiba saw confusion glitter in his eyes.

"Kaiba, what are you doing here?" questioned Yugi.

"I'm the one who brought her to the hospital," Kaiba answered nonchalantly.

"Uncle Yugi," cried Brendan as he ran toward Yugi and hugged his waist tightly.

"Hey Brendan, it's going to be OK," said Yugi, trying to comfort the distressed boy.

"Thank you for saving my sister," said Yugi after calming Brendan down.

"I didn't even know you had a sister Yugi," admitted Kaiba.

"You don't know a lot of things about Yugi," said Joey. "What happened to her anyway."

Kaiba glared at Joey for his boldness but didn't hesitate telling the story. He didn't leave out any details in his recollection of what happened. When he finished his story, the room became silent.

"I hope Marianne is Ok," sighed Joey quietly.

The room was quiet enough for Kaiba to hear what he said. As soon as he heard the name he fixed his glare on Joey once again.

"What did you just say Mutt?" growled Kaiba.

Joey flinched at the harshness of his voice, giving Kaiba a feeling of satisfaction in the process. Joey's face gave away a look of guilt as if he said something he shouldn't have.

"I don't know what you're talking about Kaiba," stammered Joey.

"You heard me Wheeler. What was the name you just said," demanded Kaiba.

"Her name is Marianne," answered Yugi for his lip-sewn friend.

Kaiba's face instantly turned into a scowl. Even after all these years, her name still angered him. He couldn't believe the person he just saved was his long lost sister as well as Yugi's adopted sister. He still hated her for abandoning him and Mokuba. If he had known it was her, he wouldn't have saved her, he would have left her like she left him.

"It's Marianne?" asked Mokuba. Yugi nodded and Mokuba's eyes shined. "Seto! She's back! She's finally back!"

"Do you think I care?" growled Kaiba.

The smile on Mokuba's face changed to a frown. "What do you mean? She's our sister," said Mokuba who was staring at his brother in disbelief.

"She left us on her own account. I can never forgive her for that," snapped Kaiba. "She is not my sister." He walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him before Mokuba could argue. Mokuba watched his brother with sad eyes but didn't follow him.

"I guess he's still mad at her," sighed Mokuba.

"Seems like it," said Joey, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"So that means you're my uncle, right?" asked Brendan who had listened to the whole thing carefully. He didn't know his mother had more brothers other than Yugi.

"Ya it does!" said Mokuba, his face lighting up again.

"Well that's good. I like you," replied Brendan who went over to Mokuba and hugged his waist. Mokuba looked down at Brendan and looked at him closely. Brendan looked a lot like Seto now that Mokuba thought about it.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but I have some good news," said a nurse that had entered the waiting room. "Mrs. Marianne is awake now if you want to speak to her."

"Uncle Yugi, Mama's awake! I wanna see her," said Brendan as he pulled Yugi toward the door to Marianne's room.

The quickly filled into the bleach white room. Marianne was lying in an upright position in her bed. She had been cleaned of all the blood and her wounds had been bandaged up again. Her eyes were shut when they first entered but she opened them slowly when they walked in. She turned her head toward them and a small smile brightened her face. She was still very pale and her eye looked like they had no life in them.

"Mama!" cried Brendan as he ran over to her side and wrapped his arms around her neck.

"Hey kid," she answered weakly, her uninjured arm wrapped protectively around him. She let go of him and pushed herself up into a sitting position, her face contorting in pain as she did. She scanned the crowed that was in her room and her eyes stopped when they landed on Mokuba.

"Marianne..." said Mokuba as he ran toward Marianne. He hugged her and buried his head into her uninjured shoulder. "I can't believe it's you!"

"It's alright kid, I'm here now," comforted Marianne. "I would never break a promise to you."

"I missed you so much," whispered Mokuba. "How come you didn't try and find us before?"

"Because I had a feeling that Seto was still mad at me and I know he still is," explained Marianne.

"Why don't you tell him why you left," suggested Mokuba.

"Because he is entitled to his own opinion," said Marianne. "If he didn't want to listen to me back then, I can't change his mind now."

"Oh Ok," was all that Mokuba said. The rest of the group talked with them about the past as well as what would happen now. Mokuba had asked Marianne about Brendan's dad and she told him that he had died a few years ago but no details about his death. Mokuba was sad to hear the new but he was glad that Marianne was all right. Marianne didn't ask questions about Mokuba and Seto's life, which made Mokuba, wonder if she wanted to know or if she already knew but he didn't pry for answers.

After a few hours of talking, the gang decided to leave Marianne to rest. They had decided that Brendan should stay with Yugi for now and Marianne approved. They went to sleep that night knowing that everything would be alright. All but one person that is. That one person wondered angrily to himself why his "sister" had returned and decided to do a little bit of research about her past.


	9. Inner Doubt

Family Ties-Chapter 9

"Daddy's coming home soon Brendan, are you excited?"

"Ya ya," chirped the young boy sitting in my lap. The two-year-old wiggled excitedly at the news of his father's return. I smiled down at and thought about James return as well.

It had been four years since we had graduated from high school. Athena and Luther had started dating soon after me and James and they moved away from Domino after graduation. James and me had moved in together and married one year later. Neither of us went to college but James had gotten a very good job. He worked at Kaibacorp. He had started as a lowly intern but he worked his way up to being one of the top executives. He started the job when Gozaburo was in charge but he got a better job when Seto became CEO. I was glad that he got the job because that meant that I could keep tabs on my brother.

I tried to visit them once but that didn't go to well. Gozaburo wouldn't let me see them and I hate that man even more now. I am glad Seto got rid of him. It has only been a few months since Seto took over Kaibacorp. and I haven't been able to visit him yet.

Since James was a top executive, he often went on business trips. They could last for days or they could last for weeks. I didn't like him being gone for so long but I knew he had to do it for the job. I was just happy that he would be returning soon.

"When will Daddy be home Mama?" Brendan asked, looking up at me with his big eyes.

"He will be home later tonight," I told him.

"Ok!" he said happily as he jumped from my lap and ran to his room.

I laughed at his enthusiasm and got up from the floor as well. I went to the kitchen and started getting things ready for dinner. After I finished making dinner I would have to go to Kaibacorp. and pick James up. We had a car but we didn't really use it unless we really had to. We liked to walk everywhere and I didn't want James to have to walk alone after a long flight.

I had gotten everything out when I was rudely interrupted by a phone call. I huffed in annoyance and looked at the caller ID. I didn't recognize the number but I picked up the phone anyway.

"Hello, Marianne speaking."

"Hello Mrs. Anderson, this is Maria. I am the secretary for Mr. Kaiba. I have some important news to tell you," said the voice from the other end of the phone.

"Yes, what is it," I replied.

"It is in regards to your husband. The plane that he was returning in was in a crash. All of the passengers survived but he was in the worst condition. I wanted to inform you that he is now at the Domino City Hospital."

I started blankly into space after hearing the news. I could still hear Maria on the other end but I didn't listen to her. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes as I slammed the phone down and ran out of the kitchen. I quickly found Brendan in his room playing with some of his toys. He looked up at me when I entered his room and he saw the distress in my eyes.

"Mama, what's the matter," asked Brendan as he walked up to me. He looked up at me with concern and pulled on my shirt.

"It's your father," I sobbed. "He's been in an accident and we're going to the hospital to see him now."

Brendan's eyes widened and he pressed his face into my thigh. I picked him up and hugged him close to me. I quickly ran to the car that was rarely used and started it up. It didn't take us long to reach the hospital that James was at. I was hoping in my heart that James would be alright.

I ran into the hospital with Brendan in my arms. I walked up to the front desk and they told me exactly where to go. I didn't want to waste time on the elevator so I just took the stairs. The room that James was in was on the 3rd floor, but it didn't take long to climb the stairs. When I finally reached the right floor, I found James hallway packed with family members of the other victims. I made my way through the people and toward James room. I found his room with ease but I was stopped when I saw a familiar face.

Seto was standing near the door, talking with one of the nurses. I stood there and couldn't help but stare. It was really him! He had grown so much since the last time I had seen him but I could still see that he was my little brother. His head had a bandage wrapped around it but he looked alright besides that.

It was so hard to look at him. He still looked so much like dad. Maybe that's why I was so hesitant to go and visit him in the orphanage. I already had tears in my eyes but seeing him made them fall faster. It brought up so many bad memories. It reminded me of how much I miss our father...

It took me a minute before I realized that he was staring back at me. I looked him in the eyes and I saw how dead they looked. He only looked at me for a moment before turning back to the nurse he was talking to. Had he not recognized me? Had I really changed that much or did Seto just forget about me all together. It hurt me inside that he didn't know who I was but I would soon change that. I was finally going to talk to my younger brother after all these years, even if he lashed out at me for leaving him and Mokuba, I deserve it. I regretted leaving them that day.

I didn't want to interrupt his conversation with the nurse so I wait for them to finish. I was close enough to hear some of what they were talking about.

"Look can I leave or not. I have important things to do," complained Seto.

"Is it more important them the well being of your employee's life. This man could die," I heard the nurse say. I knew in my gut that she was talking about James, no matter how hard I tried to tell myself that she wasn't.

"Actually, yes." I heard Seto's reply and I couldn't help but stare in disbelief. This wasn't the Seto I knew. He would never leave someone who was near death. I couldn't believe what he was saying. He had changed for the worst. How could he just leave one of his most trusted executives? I could see the nurse felt the same way I did when she replied with a disappointed "Fine you can leave."

He made his way to the exit, ignoring anyone who tried to ask him anything. I stared after him and it nearly killed me inside doing so. What had happened to my little brother? I knew Gozaburo would do something to him, but what did he do exactly? I didn't want to think about that right now, I was in too much distress already. I hate what Seto has become. James told me about Seto's working methods before but I didn't want to believe him. I didn't want to believe that my brother had become a power hunger person. I may not be able to forgive him for leaving James like this.

I shook the thought from my mind and walked up to the nurse who was talking to Seto. She still had a disappointed look on her face as I asked her, "May I please see my husband. He is in this room and I want to make sure he's Ok." She looked at me sadly, knowing that I had heard what she said about James. "Yes, he is awake right now and you can see him."

I gave my thanks to her and walked into the room. I saw James and I burst into tears. His face had many deep cuts on it and his head was heavily bandaged. Even though most of it was wrapped, I could still see the large gash on his chest. His eyes were tightly shut and his fingers dug into the hospital bed. I could see that he was in so much pain right now. I was very thankful that Brendan was asleep, so he didn't have to see his father like this. I shut the door quietly but he still heard me. He opened his eyes and I could see that they were glazed in pain. A small smile formed on his lips as he watched me place Brendan on the couch in the room, walk over to him and grab his shaking hand.

"Hey there," he said weakly. His voice was very shaky and I had to strain to hear him.

"Oh James, I'm sorry this happened to you" was all I could say. My head drooped and my tears fell onto his arm. I felt his hand leave mine and he cupped my face. I looked up at him and he was still smiling at me.

"It's not your fault, please don't blame yourself for this. You couldn't have stopped this and neither could I."

"I know," I sobbed, "but I don't know what I will do without you. You can't die!"

He looked sadly into my eyes and I could see the tears form in his eyes. "If something bad does happen, you will be fine. You are strong," he comforted.

"Don't say that!" I nearly yelled at him, "I need you, Brendan needs you. You can't leave us."

It looked like he was about to answer when a nurse walked in and told me that visiting hours was over. Instead he just told me good-bye. I kissed him on the forehead and told him good-bye as well. I picked up Brendan from were he was sleeping and walked out of the room. I looked back one more time and I saw that James had already fallen back asleep. He needed it after all that he's been through today.

It was hard leaving that night. I didn't want to go home without James but I needed to go somewhere for the night. I decided that I should go to Yugi's for the night. I would need to tell him what happened. Anyway, mother wasn't here anymore so I think Yugi would like the company. After mom went to go be with Yugi's father, (I have actually never met him but I know that he works out of town and rarely visits) Yugi and Gramps have been living at the game shop alone. I went to visit sometimes with James but they didn't really last long.

I took the car back to my house and walked with Brendan still in my arms. I didn't want to drive to Yugi's house because he would know immediately that something was wrong. A walk would do me good anyway. I need to clear my head and think things through. My house wasn't that far from the game shop so it didn't take long for me to reach it. I knocked the door loud enough for them to be able to hear me from upstairs and waited for someone to answer. I didn't have to wait long for Yugi to open the door. My tired eyes must have given away something because he looked back at me worriedly.

"Hey Marianne, what are you doing here so late?" he asked me.

"I have something that I have to tell you and Gramps. I was also wondering if Brendan and me could stay the night here," I answered.

"That's fine Marianne, you are always welcome here," Yugi replied. He moved out from in front of the door and let me in. I was exhausted from all that had happened today and I really wanted to go to sleep but I had to tell Yugi what had happened first. I followed him upstairs and into the dining room where Gramps was sitting in a chair. It looked like they had just finished eating dinner. I went over to one of the large chairs on the side of the room and placed Brendan there. I don't know how that kid could still be sleeping after everything that's happened. Yugi had already told Gramps why I was here and they both waited for me to situate myself in a chair at the table.

"So Marianne, what did you want to tell us," asked Yugi.

I looked over at them with dead eyes and told them the whole story. When I had finished, they looked over at me with melancholy in their eyes. I felt the tears come back into my eyes and fall on my cheeks. I put my head on the table, in my arms and sobbed. I felt a hand rubbing my back, trying to comfort me. I looked up and I saw Yugi, who was looking down at me sadly. I put my head back down and I could feel his hand remove itself from my back. He wrapped his hands around my neck and I hugged his waist. I cried into his shoulder for a few minutes before I became very tired. Yugi led me to my old room with Gramps following behind us with Brendan in his arms. When we reached the room, I took Brendan from Gramps and told them good night. Yugi opened the door for me and closed it when I entered the room. The bed welcomed me as I sat on it and lay down with Brendan at my side. I closed my tired eyes and I hoped that tomorrow would bring a better day.

* * *

><p>It had been hard to sleep last night so I got about 4 hours of sleep. It was difficult for me to get up that morning knowing what had happened last night. I wished it was all a dream, but I knew that was not the case. I lazily opened my eyes and they quickly adjusted to the lighting. It didn't surprise me when I woke up in my old room, because before I had actually opened my eyes, I thought about what would happen today and everything that occurred yesterday.<p>

I sat up slowly, holding Brendan close to me. He was still sleeping, but I knew he would wake up soon. It wasn't in my best interest to wake him so I moved slowly and carefully. Yugi and Gramps would still be sleeping and I wouldn't want to disturb their sleep. I wanted to get out of the house before they woke up. They don't need to worry about me right now. I don't want to feel like a burden to them.

I quietly slipped down stairs and out of the shop. The sun hadn't risen that far yet, so it was still a bit dark when I started walking home. I didn't want to go home yet, but I didn't want to go to the hospital either. It would be better if I went home first than go to the hospital first. Anyway, it's probably closed to the public now so it would be useless to go now. I don't want to think about what I would see when I got there...

Before we reached the house, Brendan starting stirring in my arms. He looked up at me with sleep still in his eyes and asked, "Where are we Mama?"

"We're just taking a short walk. I was heading home right now."

He looked confused as to why we were walking so early but he didn't argue. He laid his head back down onto my shoulder and fell back asleep. Yesterday must have taken a toll on him as well.

When we got back to the house, I opened the door, which I had forgotten to lock in my rush last night, and walked into the living room. I fell into one of the armchairs and sighed. Today was going to be a hard day. I was still tired from last night and today was only going to get worse. All that needed right then was some rest to prepare me for the day, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't fall asleep. I just sat there for hours, waiting for the sun to come up so I could go and see James.

Brendan had woken up before the time to leave came and I had to make him something to eat. He hadn't eaten the night before and he was starving. We both had a bowl of cereal and I told him what we would do today. He was glad to hear that we were going to see James. After we had finished eating, we got dressed for the day and headed out. We walked this time because we were in no rush, or at least I didn't want it to seem that way. I didn't want Brendan worrying about anything, or at least not yet.

The hospital was a thirty-minute walk from our place, so we were both a little tired from the walk. When we entered the hospital, the lady at the front desk looked up at us and asked me whom we were visiting. I told her what she wanted to know and headed up to James's room. The hallway that he was in was not as crowded as it was last night, but I recognized some of the people.

I opened the door and I saw James just as he was last night, pale and on the brink of death. It hurt my heart to see him like this. I didn't want to disturb his sleep but I knew that happy endings never really came true.

Brendan hadn't seen James last night so he was shocked to see his father like this. He ran over to his side and pulled on his sleeve. James opened his eyes at the disturbance and looked down at Brendan. He smiled just like he did the night before and held his hand out to Brendan's.

"Hey kid, how's it going?" he asked, his voice even weaker then yesterday. I walked over to them and sat next to James bed. Brendan climbed into my lap as I did, still holding onto his father's hand.

"I'm alright Daddy, I'm just worried about you," said Brendan. James just smiled at him and pulled Brendan into a hug. He looked like he was in a lot of pain while he was hugging Brendan but he didn't let go of him. He probably knew the same thing I did...

"Don't be worried Brendan, everything will be alright in the end, no matter what happens," replied James. It was the same thing that he had said to me the night before.

"Ok Daddy," said Brendan, letting go of James and crawling back into my lap. He put his hands around my waist and pressed his head into my stomach.

"Marianne, I want to tell you that I'm glad that I met you. I didn't mean for things to end like this but I am so glad the last thing I will see is you and Brendan," said James suddenly, his eyes starting to droop.

"What are you saying James?" I said, my voice cracking. His eyes were closed now but I could see his chest move from his shallow breaths.

"I'm sorry you two," was the last thing I heard James say before his breaths stopped coming. After that everything was a blur. I faintly acknowledged nurses coming in and telling me that he was gone, telling me that they were sorry. I could also hear Brendan's cries under my own. He head was digging into my neck and I had a hand on the back of his head.

I couldn't believe this was happening. It shouldn't be happening. How come everyone I love has to be ripped from me? Am I meant to hurt this much? But I can't really blame fate when it's all my fault. I always seem to hurt the ones I love. Maybe that's why I left Seto and Mokuba in the first place. I knew, even then, that I was the cause of everyone's pain. Maybe I should just leave my family alone, make it just Brendan and me. I needed to think things through now. I can't face my family anymore, they would be better off without me. I might come back to them some day, but for now I need to be alone. Brendan is all that I have left and I won't lose him. I have to focus on him from now on and I can't mess with any of my other family members, I would just end up hurting them in the end. Maybe someday we could be a family again, but I am not sure when that day will come.


	10. Reconcile

Family Ties-Chapter 10

(Kaiba's POV)

My sister's life must have been pretty dull according to the information I found about her. She was adopted by the Moto's, she was top in her high school class, she never went to college and she's never had a real job. I thought her life would be a little more "exciting" but I guess I was wrong.

The only thing that stood out to me was the name of her husband, James Anderson. I remember that man very well. He had started out working for Gozaburo as an intern but I kept him as the head of programming after I had taken over. He had shown his skills to me one day and I took that into account when promoting him. He didn't agree with Gozaburo's methods and I respected him for openly stating so. He was bold and that was what I liked in an employee. Even when I treated him harshly, he would never take it to heart. He would just shrug it off and act like it never happened. James was always there to help me when I needed it. He was the closest thing I had to a friend, almost like a brother. Now I know why he did all those thing, he was my brother.

The day of the accident still haunts me to this day. I knew that it wasn't actually an accident, someone had sabotaged the plane. Who ever did it wanted to get rid of me. The entire thing had me shaking, even if I hadn't seemed that way. In truth, I wanted to stay at the hospital with James, but I couldn't. I was afraid that whoever caused the crash would go after Mokuba next, just to get at me.

I wasn't aware of it at the time, but Marianne was there. I looked right at her, but I didn't know it was her. She had changed a lot since I had last seen her, and I really didn't remember much about her. I didn't want to remember her. If I had known it was her, I would have started yelling at her for leaving us. She shouldn't have left us. I can't imagine why she would want to leave us alone, right after our parent's death. It aggravates me whenever I think about it, but why do I even think about it in the first place? I want to forget about everything but I just can't, it's a memory that will not fade.

(Normal POV)

Days had gone by very slowly, but after about a month, Marianne was released from the hospital. She was told to take it easy for awhile, but she could go home. Brendan was happy to know that his mother was finally coming home. He had visited her whenever he could and would only leave when the visiting hours were over. Brendan had enjoyed staying with Yugi, but he really wanted to go home with him mother.

"Hey Mama, can go over to Chris's house, he invited me over," asked Brendan. Him and Marianne were at home at the moment, relaxing. Even though Brendan was young, he was very independent and often went to his friend's house.

"Sure, that's fine," answered Marianne, smiling down at her son. "Let me get ready and I will walk you over."

"Thank you Mama," chirped Brendan.

Marianne didn't really have to do much except put on her coat. When they did exit, Brendan was always ahead, calling back to his mother, telling Marianne to hurry. Chris's house wasn't that far from there own, but Brendan was very impatient. When they finally reached the house, Brendan knocked excitedly on the door. Chris's mother answered the door and welcomed Brendan in. He ran in and went to go and play with Chris. Marianne had a short talk with Chris's mother, but didn't stay long. Marianne said her good-byes and left the house.

She took her time walking home because she didn't really want to go home. It would be lonely without Brendan in the house and she wanted to clear her mind. She's been thinking about a lot of things since her accident. Yugi had told her what Seto had said about her and at the time she didn't think much about it. She still thought that it was best if she distanced her self from the boys, but now she was not so sure. Mokuba had visited her a lot in the hospital and she realized how much she missed the both of them. She wished she could just talk to Seto, face to face, heart to heart. She wanted to be a family again.

As if her prayers were answered, she heard someone from behind her shout her name. She turned around to see Mokuba waving at her while at he ran toward her. She thought he alone but then she saw Roland following him. He had been with Mokuba when he had come and visited Marianne, so she was aquatinted with him.

"Hey Marianne, what are you doing out here," asked Mokuba when reached Marianne.

"I'm just taking a walk, what about you?" replied Marianne.

"Same as you," said Mokuba. "We were heading home now. Hey, maybe you could come over?" asked Mokuba, his eyes shining up at Marianne.

Marianne pursed her lips and answered "I don't know Mokuba."

"Aww come on, please," begged Mokuba. "Seto won't be home so it will be fine if that's what you were worrying about,"

"Alright, I'll come," said Marianne after a moment of hesitation. She was actually hoping that Seto would be there so she could talk with him but it might be better that he wasn't.

"Yay," chirped Mokuba. "This is going to be awesome!"

Marianne had trouble keeping up with Mokuba, who kept running ahead of her and Roland. He was happy that he could finally spend time with his sister when she wasn't in the hospital. Seto would probably be angry with him if he saw Marianne at the house so Mokuba wanted to get home quickly. Seto was supposed to come home late tonight but Mokuba didn't want to take any chances.

The Kaiba mansion was a bit of a walk from where they were so it ended up being a 30-minute walk. This was the first time Marianne has ever seen the mansion, but her face wasn't like the other people that had seen it. Her mouth was shut and her face gave away no sign of surprise. Titles and large possessions didn't impress her and this was no exception.

Mokuba led them to the front gate and punched the code into the security box. When the gates opened, they followed the long path to the mansion's front door. Marianne was actually stunned by the beauty of the place. There were large paintings that decorated the walls of the main hallway and many exotic plants that rested in antique vases. The hallway itself was a bright white color and the floor tiles were cerulean. A chandelier hung from the roof and it looked like it was crafted from diamonds. In the back, Marianne could see a swirling staircase that was made of a white wood and the steps were covered with a light blue fabric.

After she was done with her sight seeing, Mokuba led Marianne into a room that she suspected was the living room. It was just as breath taking as the hallway. The room had the same color scheme as the hallway but it also had splashes of a lighter blue on the carpet. There were two large couches that faced each other in the middle of the room and both of them were white. A coffee table sat in between the couches and a large armchair, which was a bright blue color. An 80' flat screen TV rested near the couches and faced the armchair. On the other side of the room, a white grand piano brightened up the already bright room. Just like the hallway, paintings and vases decorated the room.

Mokuba sat in one of the couches and Marianne sat in the on opposite to it. Mokuba started talking about different things and Marianne just listened. Most of the things he talked about were nonsense so Marianne just laughed. He didn't take that to heart and kept rambling on. Marianne smiled nearly the whole time, just enjoying the company of one of the brothers she had lost.

* * *

><p>The day at the office had been surprisingly quick. Kaiba didn't have a lot to do today and he had finished early. He decided to go home early and surprise Mokuba. He wrapped up the last thing he had on his agenda and headed to the elevator. When he reached the ground floor, he ignored people saying greetings like "Good evening Mr. Kaiba," or "How are you Mr. Kaiba," and got into the limo that waiting outside for him. The ride down didn't take long and soon Kaiba was on his way home.<p>

As soon as he reached the house, he quickly gathered his things and entered the mansion. Apart from the occasional noises that came from one of the maids, the mansion was usually quiet. When Kaiba entered the mansion, he could tell that something was off. He's been living there for a long time so he could tell when something was out of the norm. Kaiba walked around the house, searching for the disturbance. He stopped when he heard laughter coming from the living room. He recognized one of the voices as Mokuba's, but the other he didn't know. Whoever it was, they would have to go because Kaiba wanted to spend time with his brother. He opened the door and what he saw on the other side made him boil with rage.

"What are you doing here," growled Kaiba, surprising Marianne as well as Mokuba.

"Seto, I didn't think you would be home early so I invited Marianne to talk for a little while," said Mokuba hesitantly. He knew his brother was angry and it was in Mokuba's best interest to not make him angrier.

"I wasn't talking to you Mokuba," said Kaiba, his glare centered on Marianne.

"I came to talk to my brother, is that so bad," replied Marianne, sarcasm brimming her voice. She stood from where she was sitting and turned to look Kaiba right in the eye.

"If I were you I wouldn't talk to me like that," cautioned Kaiba, ice hanging from his words.

"First of all, you aren't me and secondly, I can talk to my _little_ brother any way I want," chided Marianne.

"The day you left us was the day you were no longer my sister," snarled Kaiba, venom dripping from every word.

"Well fine, if that's what you want to believe," said Marianne, who was hiding the hurt in her eyes. She gave a quick nod to Mokuba, said her good-bye and left without another word to Kaiba. He glared at her as she walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. It gave Kaiba a feeling of satisfaction to have won that argument so easily.

"Why Seto," Kaiba heard Mokuba ask him quietly. He was looking at the floor and his fists were balled up tightly.

"Why what," replied Kaiba nonchalantly.

"Why do you have to keep pushing her away," yelled Mokuba. He raised his head and Kaiba could see that he was on the verge of tears.

"She left us alone."

"But she's still our sister."

"She is not my sister," replied Kaiba. He was annoyed with this back and forth arguing with his brother. This is not what he had planned to do with Mokuba today.

"Stop saying that," cried Mokuba, the tears starting to fall from his eyes. "She had a good reason to leave but you won't listen to her. If you just listen to what she has to say, then maybe we could finally be a family again. Why can't you just swallow your pride and help reunite our broken family."

Kaiba looked stunned as Mokuba ran out of the room and slammed the door behind him. He hated when Mokuba got really deep with him because it made him feel guilty. Kaiba didn't want to talk to Marianne, but maybe that would be the best. It would make Mokuba happy and Kaiba could stop thinking about her. Maybe that's why he was always thinking about her, he was guilt about shunning her. It wouldn't hurt to talk with her for a few minutes.

Kaiba sighed and made his way out of the mansion. He needed to think things through before he did anything, so he decided to go to the park to get some fresh air first. It was a bit of a walk, but the city was crowed around this time of day so Kaiba couldn't really concentrate on thinking.

The park was quiet like it usually was when Kaiba entered. The only noises that he could hear were the squeals of happy children playing on one of the playgrounds and their parents. Kaiba walked to the fountain in the middle of the park and sat on its rim. Now he could think in peace, without the stupid press or fangirls bothering him.

What was he going to do when he confronted Marianne again? Would she still be angry with him and yell at him like he had done to her? What if she listens but still rejects him?

_'That's exactly what I did to her,_' thought Kaiba angrily. Sitting there was doing nothing but anger him more so he got up and continued walking around the park. The park was large and it had two sections, a grove of trees and hilly grassy part that had the different playgrounds on it. While he was walking in the grassy part, he kept his head down, deep in thought.

His thoughts were broken when he heard a shout come from the playground he was passing. He looked over at it angrily and stopped when he saw whom the shout came from.

_'It's Marianne's son!_' thought Kaiba as he watched the young boy play with his friends. _'Maybe she's here to.'_ But as he didn't see her as he looked around. Kaiba guessed that Brendan came here with his friends and Marianne wasn't here. As Kaiba was thinking, Brendan ran up one of the hills that surrounded the park and stopped at the top. He was looking away from the park and Kaiba was curious as to what he was looking at. Kaiba followed the boy's eyes and he someone sitting alone in the field. He would have had no clue who the person was if Brendan hadn't shouted out the word "Mama!"

Kaiba watched as the boy ran toward Marianne and couldn't help but be happy. He would have his chance to talk to his sister soon that he had expected. He didn't want to talk to her in her home so it was best that she was here. Kaiba walked over to one of the benches and sat down to wait for the perfect time to talk with her. He could see clearly now that it was Marianne and he was close enough to hear what they were saying.

"Mama," yelled Brendan again as he ran toward her. Marianne looked his way and smiled at him. She didn't get up from where she was and when Brendan reached her, she caught him in her arms and held him tightly. Kaiba couldn't see the boy from where he was sitting but he could still hear him.

"What are you doing here Mama," asked Brendan.

"I'm just here thinking. What are you doing here, I thought you were at Chris's house," replied Marianne.

"Well we asked his mom if we could come to the park and she said yes so she brought us here," answered Brendan. His voice sounded a little guilt, as if thought he had done something wrong.

"As long as you two aren't alone, I'm fine with it," said Marianne.

"Ok," chirped Brendan. "Hey why don't you come play with us Mama?"

"Alright," said Marianne. Brendan jumped out of her lap and started pulling on her sleeve. He obviously wanted her to hurry and come. She turned toward him and said, "Hold on kid." It was then that she spotted Kaiba sitting behind her. Kaiba could see a hint of surprise in her eyes, but it didn't stay long. She looked back at Brendan and told him, "You go on, I'll be there in a moment." The boy replied with an OK and ran back toward his friends, who were waiting for him at the top of the hill.

Kaiba took this as an opportune time to speak with Marianne. He got up from where he was sitting and walked toward Marianne, who was waiting patiently. She was still sitting when she asked him, "So are you here to yell at me some more?"

"No, I want to talk," replied Kaiba. "I want to ask you about something."

"Fine, ask away, I don't mind," said Marianne. Her tone wasn't angry but neutral, as if she was expecting him to ask questions.

"What is the real reason you left us. You said that it was because we couldn't get adopted together but I could have made that happen if you had stayed," questioned Kaiba.

"Well at the time, I didn't know that Gozaburo would come. I couldn't take any chances," replied Marianne, her voice a bit distant as if she was thinking aloud.

"That isn't the only reason," said Kaiba. "I can tell that you aren't telling me everything."

She looked up at him with sad eyes, which surprised Kaiba, and started to explain herself. "Your right, that's not the only reason. The real reason is that I blamed myself for father's death. I blamed myself for any harm that happened to you and Mokuba. I know that it's not my fault, but I can't help but feel guilty. People I love always seem to get hurt and I don't want to cause others pain. That's why I had to leave, I couldn't cause you two anymore pain."

Kaiba looked at her as if she had grown two heads. He had no idea his sister felt so much guilt about the past. It made him angry with himself for not listening in the first place.

"I'm sorry for not listening to you sooner," said Kaiba sadly.

She just looked up at him sympathetically and said, "It's alright, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you, it only made things worse. Now I have one question for you, well three actually."

"Alright, ask," said Kaiba.

"Do you remember a man named James Anderson," asked Marianne, her eyes glued on Kaiba.

Kaiba averted his eyes away from her, wishing she hadn't asked that question. He knew that she would ask him about James someday, but he didn't expect her to ask now. Kaiba replied with a sad, "Yes"

"Do you know who he is to me," asked Marianne. Kaiba just nodded and she continued with her questions. "Why did you leave?"

Kaiba looked back at her and he saw the hurt in her eyes. He didn't want to think about that day again, but he had to tell her. He guessed that she had overheard his conversation with the nurse that night. Kaiba sighed and began telling her his side of the story.

"Because the crash wasn't an accident, someone sabotaged the plane to crash." Marianne looked shocked to hear this, but Kaiba continued without any questions from her. "I was afraid that whoever caused the accident would go after Mokuba as well. James always treated me like a brother, and I thought of him as one. I wanted to stay with him, but I needed to make sure that Mokuba was alright."

When Kaiba finished Marianne stood up and looked him dead in the eye. He could see that she was still a bit surprised to hear the truth, but she didn't look mad. She actually looked relieved to hear his side of the story. The last thing she said before she turned to go join Brendan was, "Thank you, it means a lot to me to hear that."

Kaiba watched her as she walked up the hill and disappeared on the other side. It made him feel good inside to know that he had finally talked to his sister. He felt a lot better after telling her the truth about the accident. He had felt guilt about the whole thing, but know he didn't feel as bad now that he's finally told someone. He was happy to know that his sister had forgiven him, even after everything he's put her though.

With his task done, Kaiba decided to head home and tell Mokuba the good news.


	11. Lost

Family Ties-Chapter 11

It was a quiet day in Marianne's house. It had been a few days since she had reconciled with her brother but she hasn't really talked to them since then either. She wanted to give them so space for a bit before she talked with them again. Today was like every other day, dull and boring. The only thing that kept her from dying of boredom was Brendan. He usually kept the mood light and relaxed but today, he was not himself. He seemed a little out of it and not in his usual cheerful mood. He had been acting strange all day and it Marianne started to worry

"Hey kid, is something the matter," asked Marianne. She had noticed her son's change in mood and was starting to take it seriously.

"It's nothing Mama," replied Brendan. He was sitting in Marianne's lap, his head resting on her forearm. He had his eyes on the floor and he sound tired.

"It doesn't sound that way," said Marianne.

Brendan looked up at his mother and she could see that he was indeed tired. His eyes gave away everything, except the reason he was so tired. What was making Brendan loss so much sleep? This development made Marianne's worry heighten.

"I'm having bad dreams Mama," replied Brendan. He averted his eyes from Marianne's, like he was trying to hide something from her.

"What kind of dreams Brendan?" asked Marianne, worry etched into her voice.

"I don't wanna talk about it," sighed Brendan.

'Whatever dreams he was having must be bad if he was refusing to talk about it,' thought Marianne. She needed to know what kind of dreams he was having if she wanted to help him. If he didn't tell her, they would probably only get worse.

"You need to tell me so that I can help you," said Marianne. After about a moment's hesitation, Brendan finally told her about his dreams.

"They're about Daddy," replied Brendan. Marianne wasn't that surprised to know that his dreams were about his father. He was young when James had died and Marianne was already prepared for Brendan's questions about him. The only thing that actually surprised her was that he was dreaming about a person he barely knew. They went to his grave a few times but they haven't gone recently.

"Oh baby, you don't have to worry about that, it's in the past," said Marianne.

"I know but I miss him," replied Brendan.

"I miss him to but I don't lose sleep over it. We all have to deal with bad things in our life and this is one of them," said Marianne. She didn't want his worrying about this anymore. If he kept losing sleep, he would eventually get sick.

She pulled Brendan up into her arms and held him close to her chest. She ran her fingers through his hair and rubbed his cheek with the back of her hand. His eyes started to droop and he rested his head against her shoulder. Marianne kept him close to her and soothed him into a peaceful sleep. She took him to his room and tucked him under his covers. She looked down at him and kissed him on the forehead before leaving.

Marianne was tired herself so she decided to go to bed as well. Her room was right across from Brendan's so she didn't have that far to walk. If there was ever trouble, Marianne would be right there to make sure Brendan was Ok. She couldn't let anything happen to him, it would kill her inside. She fell asleep that night hoping Brendan would get a good night sleep.

* * *

><p>Marianne woke up not to long after she had fallen asleep. She could tell that something was wrong, almost like a sixth sense. She always knew when something bad was about to happen or has already occurred. She was startled to have woken up so early, it had not even been an hour yet! The thing that worried her was why she had woken up in the first place.<p>

She immediately got up and went to Brendan's room. When she entered, she gasped in shock. Brendan was no where to be found in his room. Marianne looked everywhere around the house but didn't find any trace of him. Tears fell from her eyes as ran out of the house and started looking on the streets. No sooner than when she left, the clouds above let go of their load and the rain started pouring down.

* * *

><p>"Seto, what are we going to do tomorrow," asked Mokuba. He and Kaiba were on their way home after a long day of work. Mokuba had gone with Kaiba today because he didn't want to stay home alone. He was going to ask Marianne if she and Brendan wanted to play with him, but he wanted to spend sometime with Seto.<p>

"I don't know, that's for you to decide," replied Kaiba. He had decided to take a day off and spend it with Mokuba. He might even ask Marianne if she wanted to come with them so they could catch up a bit. He had seen Marianne in a few days and wonder why she hadn't contacted them yet.

"Alright Seto," chirped Mokuba. He looked out the window and thought about what they should do tomorrow. They could go to the arcade, or the park...

His thoughts were broken when he saw someone running in the rain. He asked the driver to slow down and when Kaiba looked at him questioningly, he pointed to the person in the rain. Seto looked closely at the person and gasped. He recognized Marianne when he saw her eyes. She looked scared and she was looking around frantically. Kaiba told the driver to stop and he got out of the limo hastily and followed her, Mokuba trailing behind him.

She was still running around when they reached her. Kaiba called out her name, but she acted as if she didn't hear him. Marianne kept going but she suddenly stopped and turned toward them. Kaiba could see that she was exhausted. He didn't know if it was just rain or if there really was tears in her eyes. She looked at them but if seemed like she didn't acknowledge them. She fell to her knees and hung her head, her body shaking from the cold as well as her sobs.

"Marianne what's the matter," asked Mokuba, concern evident in his voice. He ran over to her and kneeled down next to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, but she still didn't show any acknowledgment of them.

"He's gone, I don't know where he is," sobbed Marianne, more to herself then Mokuba.

"Who's gone, what are you talking about?" asked Mokuba. The only response he got was more cryptic nonsense or at least to Mokuba it was.

Kaiba watched them sadly, knowing whom Marianne was talking about. He didn't say anything because she would probably ignore it in her state of shock.

"I can't find him, where could he be," said Marianne. Mokuba kept trying to talk to her but it was all in vain.

Kaiba couldn't stand seeing his sister like this, so he asked her, "Do you know of a place that he would go that he could get away from his worries, a place he holds dear or has memories?"

It looked like Marianne had heard the question because he head jerked up and she said, "That's it!"

She stood up quickly and started to run again. Mokuba asked Kaiba if he knew who she was talking about, but Kaiba didn't listen, he just followed Marianne. He wanted to make sure that she found Brendan and that he was Ok. Marianne kept running toward some unknown location, while the Kaiba brothers stayed close to her.

They were both surprised when she turned and headed toward the cemetery gate. It was a good 8 feet high and it was locked at this time of night. This didn't stop Marianne because she jumped the gate with ease thanks to her height. She started running as soon as she hit the ground. Kaiba told Mokuba to stay at the gate (He was to short to climb the gate) and climbed to the other side. The rain started falling harder and Kaiba had trouble keeping sight of Marianne. He almost lost his footing on the muddy ground many times, which caused him to lose sight of Marianne.

* * *

><p>Even though the rain made it difficult to see, Marianne still knew where she was going. She didn't stop once, even though her lungs begged for her to stop. She was still unaware of the things that had happened. She only knew that they had happened but not how they happened. She remembered running out of the house, falling on the sidewalk and hearing a voice telling her a clue to where Brendan was. Everything else was a blur.<p>

She finally stopped her endless running when she reached her destination. Lying on the ground was Brendan, asleep again after coming to his father's grave. The dreams must have been really haunted the boy if they made him come all the way here in the dead of night. Brendan was shivering furiously and he was curled into a ball trying to keep the heat in his body.

Marianne fell down to her knees and picked Brendan up. She held him tightly and broke down in tears. The boy was soaked down to the bone. He must have known that Marianne was there because his eyes flittered open and he gripped his mother's shirt tightly. Marianne rubbed his arms with her hands and leaned her forehead on his head.

"Oh my baby, I'm so glad I found you," choked Marianne. Her voice was tight from her crying and running.

"I'm sorry Mama," was all that Brendan said before he fell asleep in Marianne's arms. She didn't stand up yet, but cradled him in her arms. She didn't notice when Seto came up behind her and kneeled beside her. She only realized his presence when he placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to him and saw the sadness and relief in his eyes. It was also then that she realized that the voice she had heard before was Seto's.

"I'm glad you found him," said Kaiba. Marianne closed her eyes and placed her head back on Brendan's. She didn't say anything in response. Kaiba took this as a time to ask, "Why did he come here."

Marianne looked hesitant to answer, but she did anyway. "This is James's grave. Brendan was having dreams about him and I guess he wanted to come here. We used to come here a lot, but we stopped."

Kaiba was sad to hear that but he didn't show it. He helped Marianne to her feet and led her back to the gate where Mokuba was waiting. He looked happy to see them returning but when he saw Brendan, he knew why Marianne had been so worried.

Kaiba climbed up the gate halfway and asked Marianne if he could carry Brendan over. He was worried about Marianne, wonder if she could make it back over with Brendan in her state. She looked hesitant to let go of him, but she knew it would be better if Kaiba took him over. After Kaiba and Brendan got down on the other side, Marianne made her way over the gate. This time her fatigue showed and she had trouble getting over the gate. With some help from Kaiba, she made it over without hurting herself. She took Brendan from Kaiba and held him close to her again.

"Thank you so much," said Marianne after taking back Brendan. Her voice was very scratched and strained.

"We would do anything to help you Marianne," replied Mokuba.

"If you hadn't come along, I wouldn't have found him," admitted Marianne. "My mind was clouded and I couldn't think straight. If anything had happened to him, I would never have forgiven myself."

"It was nothing," said Kaiba. He was happy to see his sister reunited with her son, it made him remember how Marianne was like a mother to him and Mokuba. She did what she had thought was right, no matter how much pain it caused her. Kaiba hadn't realized that until he had talked to Marianne that day in the park. It made him wonder how many other sacrifices she had made for the ones she loved, but he knew it wasn't the time to ask that question.

"Marianne, let us take you home, it's still raining out here and you will get sick if you don't get out of it soon," said Mokuba.

"Alright, thank you," replied Marianne. Kaiba called the limo and it appeared not to long after. They all filed in and Marianne sat next to Kaiba while Mokuba sat across from them. It was a silent ride to Marianne's house but it was a comfortable silence. They were all tired from all that had happened and they needed the silence.

Once they reached Marianne's house they all got out and walked with Marianne to the front door. She couldn't open it with Brendan in her arms so Kaiba opened it for her. As she walked in, she turned back to them and told them good-bye before Kaiba shut the door behind her.

She was too tired to walk into her room, so she just fell onto the couch, Brendan clutched tightly between her arms. She was exhausted and as soon as she got comfortable, she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>The day was already old when Marianne woke up the next day. He limbs were stiff from all the running she did last night. Her eyes were still heavy but she knew it was time to get up. She didn't know if Brendan was awake or not so she sat up slowly.<p>

As soon as she was situated in a sitting position, she felt Brendan stirring. He looked up at her, his eyes still full of sleep. He averted his eyes from hers immediately and tried to hide his face from her. She smiled at his shyness and moved him around so that he was facing her directly. He kept his head turned away from Marianne when he whispered, "Are you mad at me Mama."

She smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. He stiffened, not expecting her affection but gave her a hug in return when realized that she was not angry with him.

"No, I'm not angry with you, I was just worried sick about you," replied Marianne. "I'm not going to punish you but you have to promise me not to do something like this ever again."

"I promise Mama," said Brendan happily. He smiled tightened his hug.

Marianne was relieved to know that he wasn't hurt in anyway. He returned to his happy self that day and it made Marianne forget about yesterday's scare. She was glad to have a son like Brendan. He may be a pain sometimes, but in the end he is always there to brighten up Marianne's day.


	12. New Job Epilogue

Family Ties-Epilogue

"So this is the new Vice President," asked 22-year old Katrina Crane, Kaiba's secretary. She looked at the new VP questioningly with her big brown eyes. She moved her black bangs, which were in her eyes, behind her ear as Kaiba answered her.

"Unfortunately, yes," replied Kaiba.

"Well that's not nice is it Seto," said Marianne. She pretended to look hurt but that didn't fool Kaiba.

"Why did I let Mokuba convince me to give you this job," sighed Kaiba, pinching his nose as Marianne leaned he elbow against his shoulder. His secretary looked at her as if she had just slapped Kaiba. No one called him Seto other than his brother, but he looked as if he didn't care.

"Because you know I'm best fit for the job," stated Marianne matter-of-factly. She was enjoying messing with her little brother.

"I don't think that's it," replied Kaiba, gently pushing Marianne's elbow off of him. He looked at her and saw a playful glint in her eyes, knowing now that she was messing with him. "You think you're so funny, don't you."

"Unfortunately, yes," said Marianne, mocking Kaiba in a playful manner.

"Just get to work will you," sighed Kaiba. He walked to his office and closed the door behind him. Marianne laughed and started to walk to the elevator.

Katrina was very confused as to what had just happened. Mr. Kaiba never let people talk to him like that. She wondered if this woman was Mr. Kaiba's girlfriend. The thought made her sad and a bit jealous of Marianne. She was even more confused when she saw Marianne walk the opposite direction of the VP's office.

"Mrs. Anderson, your office is the other way," said Katrina. Marianne looked toward her and chuckled before answering her.

"Oh, I'm not working in the office, I'm working from my home," replied Marianne. "I work better there anyway."

"Oh alright," said Katrina. She watched Marianne as she entered the elevator and thought about who this woman was. She had never heard of her before and now she was the new vice president of Kaibacorp. Mokuba was supposed to be the VP, but now it was this woman. It was a mystery that Katrina just had to solve.

* * *

><p>Days passed by slowly for Katrina as she tried to figure out Marianne. Marianne came to the office each day to talk with Mr. Kaiba but then she left right after that. Katrina couldn't find a good time to talk with her. She wanted to ask Marianne what her relation to Mr. Kaiba was.<p>

It was about a week before Katrina's opportunity presented itself. It was a dreary day and things were moving slower than usual. Kaiba was in a bad mood, and no one wants to be around him when he's angry. Katrina could hear him yelling at someone on the phone from the other side of the door. This was going to be a bad day for someone in the office.

Katrina was just typing on her computer when Kaiba barged out of his office. His veins were popping out and he looked like he was going to strangle someone. He walked right up to her and yelled, "Get Marianne up here right now." After that he just went back into his office and slammed the door behind him. Katrina called Marianne quickly so she wouldn't anger her boss. She told Marianne that Mr. Kaiba wanted her and she responded with a calm, "Ok, I'll be there in a moment."

In about 10 minutes, the elevator beeped and Marianne stepped out of it. She walked calmly past Katrina and into Kaiba's office. She could hear him yelling at Marianne and venting his anger out on her. The yelling stopped after about 5 minutes and all became quiet on the 78th floor. After about 10 more minutes, Marianne stepped out of the office, still as calm as she was walking out. Katrina was surprised that she wasn't crying or at least looking a bit stunned.

"So what did Mr. Kaiba want," asked Katrina hesitantly. If this woman could take one of Mr. Kaiba's outbursts, then she must be pretty harsh herself.

"Someone had messed up and lost most of the programming for our latest project. He was pretty mad," replied Marianne.

"How are you not scared of him after he yelled at you like that,' questioned Katrina.

"He wasn't yelling at me, he was yelling at someone over the phone. He knows I can't work under pressure so he was yelling at the man that messed up. And Seto is not that scary once you get to know," laughed Marianne.

"So you fixed the mess up?" asked Katrina.

"Yes, it was a simple recovery. Seto may be smart, but when it comes to programming, I'm the best," boasted Marianne.

"I haven't been able to ask you this but I really want to know if you are Mr. Kaiba's girlfriend?" asked Katrina. She was surprised when Marianne started laughing.

"His girlfriend, of course not!" laughed Marianne.

Katrina looked at her, puzzled. "Then what are you to him. No one calls him by his first name except his brother and he seems fine when you call him that."

"I can only tell you if you promise not to tell anyone," whispered Marianne. Katrina nodded and Marianne told her, "Seto is my brother. Weather you believe me or not, it is true.

Katrina looked at her like she had grown two heads. Mr. Kaiba has a sister! She didn't know if she was telling the truth or not. She was relived to know that they weren't dating but she didn't know if she could trust Marianne.

"Why don't you want anyone else to know," asked Katrina after she got over her initial shock.

"Because I don't want people to be bugging me about it. I don't want people intruding in my life because of my brother. I know that as the VP I will be getting a lot of attention from the press, but I don't want anymore then is already guaranteed," replied Marianne.

"That makes sense. So why do you go home instead of work here?"

"Because I have a son and I need to keep an eye on him during the day. I get my work done on time, so Seto doesn't have a problem with it," answered Marianne.

"OK I get it now, thank you for answering my question. I know they were a bit personal, but I guess I'm a little nosy," said Katrina.

"I don't mind, I'm not one to keep things from others. If they ask, I will tell, if it is a reasonable answer," said Marianne. "Well I need to get back to work, see you later."

Katrina waved good-bye to her and went back to work as well. She was happy to get that all settled. It made her happy to know that Marianne trusted her with a big secret. She wouldn't tell anyone. She was also glad to know that Marianne wasn't dating Mr. Kaiba. She smiled to herself and felt better about everything now that she had gotten the answers she wanted. She felt like everything would work out for everyone in the end.

* * *

><p><em>AN- So that's the end, I hope you like it. It took me a while to think of a way to end this but I finally did it. If you are wondering why I ended it like this, it is simple- _

_1) Katrina is going to play a somewhat big part in my next story (And she's got her little crush on Seto! and no she is not the reincarnatoin of Kisara, she's in the white rose.)_

_2) I think that Mokuba would want to do something else with his life so he made Seto make Marianne the new VP. _

_This was really fun to write and thanks to everyone that's read and reviewed! _


End file.
